


Blood Ties

by xtremeroswellian



Category: Halloween Movies - All Media Types, Third Watch
Genre: BAMF Kim, BAMF Laurie Strode, Creepy, Crossover, Death, F/M, Fred Yokas is a douche, Gen, Gore, Hurt Alex, Hurt Bosco, Ill timed love confessions, Knives, Long Lost Family, Long lost siblings, Misunderstandings, Murder, Never ask why someone hates Halloween, Sergeant Christopher is a dick, Spoilers for Halloween: H20, Spoilers for Halloween: Resurrection, Stalking, You can't kill the bogeyman, eye gore, stabbings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:41:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23868439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: Evil has come to New York City, hellbent on killing one of the officers at the 55th precinct. Will the rest of the Third Watch crew be able to stop the killer in time? Or will they become victims themselves?
Relationships: Faith Yokas & Laurie Strode, Faith Yokas & Maurice Boscorelli, Maurice Boscorelli/Faith Yokas, Ty Davis/Alex Taylor
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this fic came after watching Halloween Resurrection the day it came out in theaters. Sorry to anyone who liked the movie. I personally thought it was awful and I felt the need to try and fix it. And what better way to fix something than by throwing the Third Watch characters in the mix? ;) I've never attempted a horror fic before, and I realize the idea of a Halloween/Third Watch crossover is a bit...bizarre, but I decided to take the challenge.

Grace Anderson Sanitarium  
October 29th, 2004--Evening

"Where should I put this file?" Diane Carter asked, looking up from the front desk at the head psychiatric nurse.

"Whose file is it?" Nurse Wiley asked absently as she jotted down a note on one of her patient's charts.

"Um....Laurie Strode." Diane was taken aback by the nurse's startled--no--almost frightened expression. "Are you all right?"

"Yes. I'm fine. Bottom drawer of the locked cabinet," she replied shortly. Without another word, the nurse turned away and hurried off down the corridor.

"What's wrong with her?" Marie Swenson asked, frowning as she walked up and stood at the desk.

Diane looked at the younger nurse. "I have no idea. I just asked her where I should put this file and she freaked."

"What file?" Marie asked curiously.

"Laurie Strode's."

"Laurie Strode's?" she repeated, her eyes widening slightly. "No wonder she freaked."

Diane frowned. "Why? Who is she?"

"You really don't know?"

"No, I don't."

"Laurie Strode was a patient here. A year ago. She died here last Halloween."

"How?"

Marie glanced around, then focused her gaze on Diane, lowering her voice. "Murdered."

"Murdered?" Diane repeated, shocked.

"Yeah."

"By who?"

"Her brother."

"Damn." She shook her head. "Did they catch him?"

"No." Marie leaned against the desk. "Some people think he's dead, but--" She shook her head. "After he killed Laurie, he went and killed all these kids that were spending the night in his house for some spooky reality show. It was awful."

"I remember reading about that. That's the same guy?" Diane asked, her eyes wide.

"Michael Myers, the Halloween killer. Same guy."

Diane gazed down at the file folder. "Why would he kill his own sister?" she murmured.

"Beats me. If you ask me, he should have been the one locked up in one of these padded cells, not her." Marie paused. "You want to know the creepiest part?"

She glanced up at her silently, waiting.

"The night he killed Laurie Strode...her body disappeared from the hospital morgue. They've never been able to find it."

"That poor woman," Diane whispered, feeling sick.

"I bet he took it with him," Marie said, knowingly.

"What?"

"Michael Myers. I bet he stole his sister's body."

"Jesus..."

"He was obsessed with her. Stalked her for years, tried to kill her on several different occasions, but it was always on Halloween night."

"Guess he finally succeeded."

Marie nodded. "He was a real monster. Killed half her family, her friends, her boyfriend...I can't even imagine how she stayed sane as long as she did. But at least she's finally free of him." Just then a bell rang shrilly from down the hallway. "That's Mrs. Hart again. She keeps wanting to know what time her son's coming to see her. Guess she forgot that she killed him twelve years ago." She rolled her eyes and headed off down the corridor, leaving Diane at the desk alone.

Diane felt a chill run down her spine as she was left to the silence. She looked down at the thick file folder in her hands, then slowly opened it. She gazed at the picture of Laurie Strode attatched to the first page.

She had been a beautiful woman. Shoulder-length brown hair, a youthful and fair complexion. But her eyes, while a startling shade of green, reflected torment. Fear.

Fear of her own brother.

She shuddered, trying to imagine for just a moment what her life must have been like.

She bit her lower lip, glanced around the empty hallway, then carefully tucked the file folder into her bag, wanting to read more about the woman's past later on. There was really no harm. After all, Laurie Strode was dead. It wasn't like anyone would miss the file for one night. She'd bring it back in the morning. She made sure it was hidden from view in case anyone walked by. Then she went back to work.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Diane? What are you still doing here?"

She jerked her head up from her filing and looked at Nurse Wiley. Then her gaze flickered to the clock on the wall. It was 11:30 p.m. She should have left a half-hour ago. "Oh. Guess I lost track of the time."

The nurse raised an eyebrow. "Every other receptionist we've had was dying to get out of here early."

Diane gave her a small smile and she shrugged, not sure what to say.

"Get out of here, get some sleep. Trust me, you'll need it. This place can really get to you."

"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow." Diane stood up, grabbed her bag off the floor and strapped it over her shoulder.

"Be careful out there."

"You too." She shut the file cabinet, turned off the computer, and headed for the door. She paused, briefly considered calling security for an escort, then changed her mind. Her car was just a few yards from the door, and she'd parked under a lamp. She'd be fine.

She walked outside, instantly wishing she'd worn heavier coat that day as the cool autumn breeze tore at her exposed skin. She shivered and pulled her keys from her purse as she clutched her bag to her more tightly.

She paused when she thought she heard footsteps behind her. She turned, but didn't see anyone.

Diane took a deep breath. "Stop being so paranoid," she mumbled under her breath. She rolled her eyes, berating herself for allowing what Marie had told her earlier to have this much affect on her. She turned back to head for her car again, picking up her pace a little.

She only made it a few feet before a tall figure suddenly appeared before her. She instantly took a step back, fear gripping onto her. The figure wore a white face mask that hid all of his features but his eyes.

She took another step back, then turned to run toward the entrance of the asylum. Her heart raced as her feet pounded against the pavement.

He grabbed her by the neck and pulled her off the ground, yanking her back toward him. She didn't even get the chance to scream as he plunged the knife into her stomach.

The last thing she saw was the concrete rushing up to meet her as everything grew dark.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grace Anderson Sanitarium  
October 30, 2004--8:09 a.m.

"I can't believe this. Who would do something so terrible?" Marie whispered the next morning as she stood with the crowd of onlookers outside of the building as the detectives combed the scene for evidence.

"Lieutenant! I found something!" one of the officers shouted as he examined Diane's blood-stained bag that was lying on the ground.

Lt. Pleasance walked over. "What is it?"

"A patient's file folder, Sir."

"What patient?"

"Laurie Strode. But all the charts are missing."

Pleasance stared at him for a long, silent moment. "Son of a bitch," he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

La Guardia Airport, New York City  
October 30, 2004--10:29 a.m.

"Excuse me, Ma'am. Do you need a taxi?"

She turned, startled by the voice. She clutched her small suitcase tightly in her hands, so tightly her knuckles turned white. "No," she whispered, her voice low, raspy, like she hadn't used it in a very long time.

She turned away, looking around the crowded sidewalk outside of the airport. There were so many people...how was she ever going to track down someone she'd never even met in less than twenty-four hours?

She felt a brief moment of utter hopelessness, followed immediately by determination.

Laurie Strode was going to find her sister. She had to. She had to find her before Michael did.

Because she wasn't sure she'd be able to deal with another person's death on her conscience.


	2. Chapter 2

New York City  
October 30th, 2004--6:01 p.m.

"I can't believe Lieu's making us work tomorrow night. This is what? The fourth year in a row we've had to work on Halloween? Why us?"

Faith Yokas stared out the passenger window of 55-David. "Just lucky, I guess."

"Oh, yeah. Real lucky. The one night of the year when all the weirdos and loons are even weirder and loonier than usual," Bosco muttered as he leaned his head back against the driver's seat.

"Any units in the 55, we have a 10-21 at 722 N. Grand," the dispatcher announced over their police radios.

"55 Charlie responding to the 10-21 at 722 N. Grand, Central, 10-4," Sully's voice said.

"You're quiet tonight. Anything you want to talk about?"

Faith turned to see Bosco gazing at her. "No. Everything's okay," she said, feeling uneasy.

"Right." He looked out the window. There was a long moment of silence. "Fred's got the kids this weekend?"

She cringed slightly at the mention of her ex-husband's name. "Yeah. He's dropping them off at my place Monday night." She looked out the windshield, trying to push away the sadness she felt.

He glanced over at her again. "You wanna do something then? After the shift tomorrow?"

"I appreciate the support, but I'm okay. I'm not gonna spend my time off curled up in bed crying. I've passed that stage." She gave him a small smile. "Besides, anytime we go anywhere, all the women think I'm your girlfriend."

"So?"

"So? So, I'm scaring off all your potential romantic prospects."

"I'd rather be with you anyway," he said, his voice quiet.

Faith looked away. She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again. "Yeah, well, you won't think that ten years from now when you're still the city's 'Most Eligible Bachelor,'" she joked.

"We don't have to go out. We could rent some scary movies and order in pizza," he suggested, his voice hopeful.

She was deeply touched by his concern for her. The past couple years they'd gotten to be even closer than they had been. They still had their disagreements, of course, but they knew they could always count on each other, no matter what.

Ever since her and Fred's divorce had been finalized a few months ago, Bosco had been regularly showing up at her apartment, making her go out for dinner, drinks, or just dropping by to hang out so she wasn't alone when it was Fred's turn to take the kids. She'd resisted his efforts at first; all she'd wanted was to be alone. But he was still stubborn as hell, and when he set his mind to it, he didn't back down.

He hadn't let her sink into the depression she'd been headed for, and for that she would be eternally grateful to him.

The problem was, the more time she spent around him, the more time she *wanted* to spend around him. And that brought up emotions she wasn't sure she was ready to deal with yet.

"What do you say?"

She glanced at him. "Maybe. Let's see how many wackos we have deal with tomorrow."

Bosco nodded.

They fell silent again.

Faith shifted restlessly in her seat. "I hate Halloween," she muttered.

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. Ever since I was a kid, this time of year just...gives me the creeps." She shook her head, to that day unable to understand why she always felt a sense of dread for October 31st. "Bad things happen."

"Bad things happen every day," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but it's like Friday the 13th. It's just...bad luck."

Bosco shook his head. "I never figured you for the superstitious type. I can't believe you hate Halloween."

"Boz, you were just talking about how much you hated it."

"No, I was talking about how much I hated *working* on the day, not hating the day itself."

She looked out the window once more, her eyes fixed on the setting sun.

He shook his head again. "Why would anyone hate Halloween?" he wondered aloud, frowning.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Laurie eased her way through the crowd on the sidewalk, still clutching her small suitcase. Night had fallen and she shivered in the chilly air.

She jumped, startled when some young teenagers zoomed by her on skateboards. She let out a slow, deep breath, trying to relax.

The longer she walked, the more the crowds of people seemed to dissipate until there were just a few people left.

All at once an eerie sensation swept over her. She was being watched.

Laurie stopped in her tracks and slowly turned in a full circle. She found herself staring at a familiar figure on the sidewalk across the street.

She swallowed hard, staring at her brother as he stared back from beneath the white mask he wore. She shut her eyes tightly, willing him to be a figment of her imagination. But when she opened her eyes again, he was still there.

And now he was slowly crossing the street, coming toward her.

"No," she whispered, her heart pounding in her chest.

Her suitcase clattered to the pavement as she dropped it and began to run.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Why do we always get the stupid calls?" Carlos demanded as he followed Doc out of the apartment building and headed toward Adam 55-3.

Doc smiled, but didn't answer as he opened the doors to the back of the ambulance.

"She didn't really think we were going to do CPR on her dead iguana, did she?" He shook his head in disgust.

He started to reply, but as he turned to look at his partner, he caught sight of a woman running toward them, a look of pure terror on her face.

"What's her problem?" Carlos muttered, frowning.

Doc stepped forward, right into the woman's path and caught her, gently placing his hands on her shoulders as she gasped for breath. "Ma'am, are you okay?"

"Please, you have to help me, he's coming!"

"Who's coming?" he asked, his frown deepening.

"He's trying to kill me! I can't let him kill me, I have to find my sister!"

"Okay, just calm down and take a deep breath," he instructed gently.

"I can't, he's coming!" she said, shaking her head.

Doc looked behind her. "Ma'am, there's no one there. It's okay."

"Maybe we should call for the police," Carlos suggested lowly.

"Are you hurt?"

The woman looked over her shoulder, then back at him. "Yes. Can you please take me to the hospital?"

"Yeah, of course." Doc glanced at Carlos, nodding toward the bus as he tossed the younger man the keys. Carlos disappeared around the front of the ambulance and Doc heard the engine start a moment later.

He turned his attention back to the frightened woman. "Why don't you climb in back while my partner drives? Let me take a look at you and make sure you're okay."

Without hesitation, she climbed into the ambulance. He followed her, pulling the doors shut behind him. "Can you tell me what hurts?" he asked as he turned to one of the cabinets and rummaged around for a new run-sheet.

The bus pulled into motion.

Doc never noticed the figure in the white mask standing in the street behind the bus, a large butcher knife in his hand as he stared after them.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This stupid S.O.B. rammed right into me!"

"You ran a red light, asshole!"

Faith quickly stepped in between the two men. "Okay, one at a time," she instructed, keeping her voice calm and professional. She turned to the man who'd hit the other man's car. "You first, Sir."

"Why him first?" the other driver demanded.

"Shut your mouth," Bosco commanded, his tone much less patient than hers had been.

"My wife's the one who was hurt!" he protested.

Faith cast a glance to the curb, where Kim and Alex were examining the woman. "She okay?"

Alex glanced up. "Yeah, no serious injuries. A couple of cuts and bruises."

"You hear that? She's fine," Bosco told the man.

"And if she wasn't, it would've been your own fault for running that red light!" the other driver said angrily.

"You son of a--"

Faith quickly blocked the driver's attempt to grab the man who'd hit his car.

"Get off me, you bitch!" he said, shoving her backward.

Bosco instantly grabbed him and had him in handcuffs before he even realized what was going on. Holding on to the man's arm tightly, he spun him around. "Now apologize to my partner."

"Forget it. I'm not apologizing to anyone."

"Apologize to her *now*," he commanded, his tone full of warning.

"Fine. I'm sorry. There, happy?"

"Yep." Bosco shoved him into the back of the squad car and slammed the door behind him. He returned to Faith's side, shaking his head in disgust.

She finished taking the other man's statement and allowed him to leave. She glanced at Kim and Alex. "You mind taking her to the House while we wait for the tow truck?"

"No problem," Kim replied, smiling at her.

"Thanks, Kim."

"Sure."

Faith closed her notepad and slid it into her pocket. She paused, frowning deeply as she glanced around. Her gaze landed on a man a few yards away.

He wore old, dirty, blue jean cover-alls and black boots. His hair was messy, sticking out in all directions behind the plain white mask that covered his face.

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as he simply stood there, staring at her.

"...to go."

She blinked as she realized Bosco had been saying something. "What?"

He frowned. "What's wrong?" When she didn't answer, he turned to see what, or who, she was looking at. He rolled his eyes. "Hey, moron! Halloween's tomorrow night, not tonight!" he shouted.

The guy just continued to stare at them, his body completely motionless.

"Don't you think you're a little old to be dressing up anyway?" Bosco called. He turned to Faith, shaking his head. "What a freak."

She swallowed hard, goosebumps rising up on her arms.

"I'm going over there to see what the hell his damn problem is."

Faith instinctively reached out and grabbed his arm. "Don't."

"What?"

"Just don't. Please."

Bosco stared at her for a moment, then looked down to where her hand lingered on his arm. He frowned deeply and wondered what was going on her head right then. He kept his mouth shut, but turned back to look at the man.

The guy finally turned and disappeared into the alley behind the abandoned shoe store.

"Jag-off," he muttered, heading back for the squad car.

Faith remained standing there for a moment, staring at the entrance to the dark alley.

She shuddered.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So what's wrong with her?" Carlos asked, his voice low as he glanced sideways at Doc, who'd climbed into the passenger seat after examining the woman.

"Nothing, as far as I can tell."

"What? You mean we're just playing taxi driver now?"

"Keep your voice down," Doc said, glaring at him. "She might not be hurt physically, but you saw the look on her face. She was scared. Really scared."

"So what. We should have called the cops and let them deal with her. What if a real call comes in?"

"Shut up and drive, Carlos."

They rode in silence the rest of the way to Mercy.

As soon as Carlos stopped the bus, Doc turned and glanced over his shoulder. "We're at the--" He stopped when he saw the doors to the back of the ambulance were swung wide open.

The woman was gone.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bosco pulled his shirt on and closed his locker, grabbing hold of the handles of his duffel bag. He glanced over to where his partner stood at her locker, motionless. Her mind was clearly elsewhere. "Faith?"

She jumped, startled by the sudden sound of his voice. "What?"

He frowned. "What's wrong with you? You've been acting weird all night."

"Sorry. Guess I'm just a little distracted."

"I can see that. The question is why?"

She looked at him hesitantly. "I don't know," she admitted, glancing down at the floor.

His frown deepened and he moved so he was standing right in front of her. "Well, look, if you want to talk, you know I'm here for you, right?" he asked, his voice quiet as he reached out and touched her arm.

She lifted her eyes and met his gaze. "I know. Thank you." She hesitated again. "I've got a bad feeling."

"About what?"

"I don't know," she answered with a sigh, shaking her head. "It's probably nothing. I probably just need to get some sleep."

Bosco nodded slowly. "Yeah, you said you hadn't been sleeping well."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's all it is." She closed her locker door.

"You want a ride home?" he offered, hoping she'd say yes for a change.

"Are you sure it's not too much trouble?"

"It's no trouble at all," he assured her as they headed for the locker room door.

"Thanks. I just don't really feel like walking tonight."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You gonna be okay?" Bosco asked as he stopped his mustang in front of her apartment building.

"Yeah. Thanks for the ride, Boz."

"Sure."

He watched as she reached for the door handle and started to climb out of the car. An uneasy feeling settled upon him. "Hey, Faith."

She looked at him over her shoulder. "Yeah?"

Bosco looked at her seriously. "If you need anything or you can't sleep or whatever...call me, okay?"

Faith met his eyes and held his gaze for a long moment. She gave him a small smile. "I will. Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"Night, Bosco."

"Night, Faith."

She closed the door and he watched to make sure she made it safely inside the building before he put his car into gear.

He pulled away from the curb. He didn't even think to glance in the rearview mirror. If he had, he would have seen the man in the white mask standing under one of the street lights outside of Faith's apartment building.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Faith restlessly walked the floor of her apartment as she cradled a mug of hot chocolate in her hands, sipping it slowly. She wished she had asked Bosco to come up and have some coffee or something. Despite the fact she'd lived in this apartment for almost three months, she still didn't feel quite at home, quite comfortable in it. Especially without the kids. It was too quiet, too...still.

It just didn't feel quite *right.*

Of course, usually she didn't feel as anxious as she did at that moment, either. And she couldn't even determine the cause of her anxiety.

At that moment, there was a loud knock on her door. She jumped, startled. Some of the hot chocolate splashed onto her sweatshirt. "Damn," she said under her breath.

The knock came again, several quick thumps.

Glancing at the clock, she set her mug down and headed to the door. The only person who would visit her at that time of night was Bosco. Maybe he'd sensed that she didn't really want to be alone and decided to come back. Whatever his reason, she felt relieved as she unlocked the door and swung it open. She frowned in confusion when instead of seeing her partner standing on her doorstep, she found herself face to face with a woman who looked a few years older than her. "Yes?"

For a long moment, the other woman just stared at her. She had short, dark brown hair that was in tangles. Her clothes, a pair of blue jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt, were wrinkled. But her eyes...her eyes were haunted.

Maybe she's in trouble, Faith thought, her cop instinct taking over. "Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?"

"Are you Faith Anderson?" the woman asked, her voice low and raspy.

She stared at the woman, totally thrown off guard by her question. How did someone she'd never met before know her maiden name? "Who are you?"

"Is that your name?" There was more than a slight sense of urgency to her tone this time.

"Yes," Faith answered, confused. "How did you know that?"

"Listen to me, you're in a lot of danger--"

"Excuse me? Who are you?" she asked, shaking her head.

The woman hesitated, then looked at Faith with resolve in her eyes. "My name is Laurie Strode. I'm your sister."


	3. Chapter 3

Apartment of Faith Yokas, New York City  
October 30th, 2004--11:21 p.m.

Laurie waited for some flicker of emotion, of shock to appear on Faith's face, but if she was feeling anything, she hid it very well.

"I'm sorry. You must have the wrong person. I don't have a sister."

"Your name is Faith Anderson, right?"

"Was."

"And your parents are Jack and Mia Anderson?"

Now the other woman looked slightly uncomfortable. She nodded slowly, gazing back at Laurie intently, a hint of wariness in her eyes.

Laurie didn't blame her. "Look, I know you don't know me and that you have no reason to trust me, but if you'll let me come in, I can explain everything. Please." She gazed at Faith pleadingly.

After a long moment, Faith nodded again and stepped aside. "Okay. Come in."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Faith sat tensely at her small kitchen table, her hands wrapped around a fresh mug of hot chocolate.

Across the table, Laurie did the same as she began to speak. Her voice was quiet but steady. "My parents...my real parents died in 1967. In a bad car accident. I was only six and I don't really remember them. I was adopted by another family in town. The Strode's." She paused, sipped her hot chocolate. "When I was seventeen, I found out I had an older brother. His name is Michael."

Faith heard the catch in her voice at her brother's name. It made her feetl even more tense, though she didn't understand why.

"Michael had been institutionalized since he was six years old."

"For what?"

"Murder," Laurie said softly, gazing down at her mug.

Faith stared at her in shock.

"He uh...he killed my older sister on Halloween night. In 1978 he escaped. And...then he tried to kill me."

Realization dawned on her. "Wait a second. Are you talking about--"

Laurie met her eyes. "Michael Myers."

Faith leaned back in her chair and waited for the other woman to continue.

"They were never able to catch him to lock him back up again." Laurie paused. "I'm here because a few weeks ago I found out something that I'd never known. The night that my real parents died, they were on their way to the hospital because my mom was in labor." She swallowed hard. "Apparently the paramedics that arrived on the scene pulled her from the car. She had already died by the time they got her in the ambulance. But they delivered the baby that she was carrying. A healthy baby girl. They took the baby to the hospital, but there were no relatives in Haddonfield, Illinois, and no one knew if there were relatives anywhere else, or how to contact them if there were. So the doctors called DCFS. A few weeks later, the baby...my sister...was adopted. By Jack and Mia Anderson." Laurie looked across the table at her. "That baby girl was you."

Faith shook her head. "It's impossible. I wasn't adopted. I was born and raised here in Manhattan."

"Are you absolutely sure of that?"

She stared at Laurie, opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. A tiny bit of doubt crept into her mind.

"I know this is a lot to absorb and I really wish I could have come here for a happy family reunion." She gazed at Faith. "But that's not why I'm here."

Faith waited uncertainly.

"I'm here because I had to warn you that you were in danger." Laurie's eyes held a mixture of fear and sorrow. "He's here."

"Who's here?"

"Michael. He's here, in New York City. Looking for his sisters."

"How do you know that?"

"I've seen him."

There was a long moment of silence as Faith stared at her. Then she slowly rose to her feet. "I have to go."

"I'm sorry if--"

"No. I have to go see my parents." Faith set her mug in the kitchen sink and ran water in it.

"For your sake, I hope I'm wrong," Laurie said softly, also standing.

She folded her arms across her chest and gazed at the woman claiming to be her sister. "Can you meet me tomorrow afternoon?"

Laurie hesitated for a moment. "Where?"

"There's a cafe on the corner of Wood and Martin Luther King."

She nodded. "What time?"

"Around one?"

"I'll be there."

Faith reached for the phone. "Let me call you a cab."

"Thanks."

She dialed the number, ordered a taxi, then hung up the phone again. She was about to say something else when the bell from the church a couple blocks away began to ring. Her gaze flickered to the clock hanging on the wall above the stove. Both hands pointed to the twelve. Midnight.

Their eyes met.

"It's Halloween," Laurie whispered, her voice barely audible.

Faith shivered.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Home of Jack and Mia Anderson  
October 31st, 2004--12:52 p.m.

"What the hell are *you* doing here? Do you know what time it is?" her father demanded, glaring at her as he stood in the open door with his robe on. His breath and clothes smelled of stale alcohol.

"I need to talk to Mom. Where is she?" Faith asked anxiously, pulling her sweatshirt jacket closer to her.

"Are you out of your mind? It's almost 1 a.m.!"

"Jack?" her mother said sleepily. She peered around him and saw her daughter standing there. "Faith? What's the matter? Is something wrong with the kids?"

"No, they're fine." Faith stepped past her father and into the house where she'd grown up. She turned to look at her mom. "I have to ask you something. It's important."

"Better be, coming over here at this damned time of the morning," her father grumbled, shutting the front door.

"Jack, shush," her mother scolded, not taking her eyes off Faith. "What is it?"

Faith drew in a deep breath, not exactly sure what to say, or rather, *how* to say what she needed to. "Are you my real parents?" she blurted out. She watched a startled look cross her mom's face.

"You came over here to ask us that?" her father demanded, disgusted. He shook his head and glared at her.

"I need to know," she answered, feeling a growing sense of urgency build within her.

"Of course we're your real parents," her mother told her, her tone of voice very similar to the one Fred had used when he'd denied having an affair with her friend Holly.

Faith pushed all thoughts of her ex-husband and ex-friend away for the moment. "Please, I need to know the truth, Mom," she pleaded.

"Faith, I don't know what you want me to say."

"Bullshit, Mia! You know *exactly* what she wants to hear. She wants to hear that she could have had a much better life without us raising her," her father snapped. He turned his attention to Faith. "We're the only damned parents you've ever known, you ungrateful bitch! You think we screwed up your life? We could have left you there to be raised by some psychopathic cousin or aunt, but we didn't."

Faith flinched at the hatred in his voice that reflected the same feeling she saw in his eyes when he looked at her. "So it's true. I was adopted?"

"Worst decision we ever made!" he said evenly.

"Don't say that, Jack!" her mother snapped.

She blinked back the tears that stung her eyes.

"Why not? It's the truth. She doesn't want me for a father anymore than I ever wanted her for a daughter. At least now she knows why!"

Her mother took a step toward her. "Don't listen to him, he had too much to drink tonight." She reached out and touched her daughter's cheek. "The truth is, yes, we adopted you. But I loved you like you were my own."

Faith pulled away. "Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded, wiping the tears away from her eyes, refusing to cry in front of her father.

"We wanted to protect you, Faith."

"Does Stanley know?"

Her mother hesitated, then looked at the floor. "No, your brother doesn't know. He was only a year old when we adopted you." She sighed heavily. "After Stanley was born, the doctors told us we couldn't conceive again. I wanted another child. We were living in Illinois at the time. The night we first saw you, we were at the hospital because your brother had swallowed a penny. I overheard the nurses talking about a horrible car crash, and that a baby had survived. They didn't know of any relatives that could take care of you. They were talking about putting you in foster care. So we contacted our lawyer and DCFS. We were surprised that the process didn't take much time, but then we found out why." She looked away.

Faith stared at her. "Because they knew no one would want the baby sister of a psychopathic killer." She felt numb, her whole body cold and stiff.

"They were right," her father replied, glaring at his wife. "I tried to talk her out of it, but she'd already fallen in love with you."

Her mother closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again and turned to look at her once more. "As soon as the adoption went through, we moved here, as far away from Haddonfield, Illinois, as we could. We wanted to keep you away from all the publicity and talk that we could keep you away from. We didn't want you to know, Faith. _I_ didn't want you to know."

Faith stood rooted to the floor, not even sure how to respond, or how she should feel.

Confusion flickered over her mother's face. "How did you find out?"

"My sister showed up on my doorstep tonight," she murmured, feeling dazed.

"Your sister?" her mother repeated.

"Laurie Strode."

"But that's impossible. Your brother killed her last Halloween!"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apartment of Maurice Boscorelli  
October 31st, 2004

Bosco was awakened to the sound of distant, but repetitive knocking. He managed to lift his head and open one eye, peering at the clock beside his bed. 2:47 a.m. He closed his eye again and attempted to go back to sleep, but the knocking sound continued.

He scowled and reluctantly pulled himself out of his nice, warm bed. He rubbed his eyes and glanced in the mirror momentarily. He briefly considered pulling on some clothes, but decided whoever was at the door could deal with his t-shirt and boxer shorts. Besides, all he planned on doing was opening the door, yelling at whoever had decided to disturb him at that God-awful time of morning and then going immediately back to bed.

He didn't know exactly what to expect when he pulled open the door, but it definitely wasn't his partner standing there in front o him, her face pale and her entire body shaken. "Faith," he said, alarmed, the sight of her instantly waking him up. Something was wrong.

"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have--I woke you up, I'm sorry," she mumbled, turning to walk away.

Without even thinking about it, Bosco reached out and caught her arm. "Hey. What happened? Are you all right?"

When she finally turned to meet his gaze, her blue eyes were brimming with tears. "My whole life has been nothing but lies," she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion that she was obviously struggling to conceal.

He stared at her, thrown by her words. "Did Fred show up at your place, say something to you? Because if he did--"

"No, not Fred." She shook her head, a tear sliding down one of her cheeks. She raised a trembling hand to wipe it away.

"Here. Come inside," he told her, worried. As soon as she'd stepped into his apartment, he closed the door behind her, then locked it.

She stood a few feet away, faced in the opposite direction, motionless as he stared at her.

He moved toward her, rested a hand on her back and guided her to the sofa. "Sit down." When she was seated, he pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and draped it around her shoulders. Then he sat down beside her. "What's going on, Faith?"

"I had a visitor tonight," she said, her voice barely audible.

"Who?" he asked, mentally noting to himself to cause severe injury to whoever had upset his best friend so badly.

"My sister."

Bosco frowned. "I didn't know you had a sister."

"Me either," she whispered.

He paused, hoping if he thought long enough, her statement would make sense. When it still didn't, he decided to ask. "What?"

"This woman...Laurie Strode...showed up at my apartment. She said she'd been looking for me. That I was her sister, that our real parents died in a car accident when she was six and I was a baby."

Bosco raised his eyebrows. "So some kook shows up at your door, tells you she's your sister and you just believe her?"

"It's the truth."

"How do you know that?"

"I went to see my parents."

He stared at her, waited for her to continue.

"They told me that they adopted me because after Stanley, they couldn't have anymore children." She opened her mouth to say something else, but closed it quickly when a sob threatened to break free.

Bosco swallowed hard, then gently rubbed her back with one hand. "Okay. So this woman...your sister...just wanted to meet you? Let you know the truth?" he asked, his voice quiet. He knew instinctively there was more--a lot more--than she'd told him yet.

"No," Faith whispered. "She came to warn me."

"About what?" he asked, frowning deeply.

"Our brother."

He paused. "I'm assuming you're not talking about Stanley."

"I wish."

"Okay, what about him? He want to hit you up for money or something?" he asked cursiously.

She hesitated.

"Faith?"

She lifted her eyes to his face and he was startled by how lost she looked. "She came to warn me that he was here in Manhattan."

"I don't think I understand."

A tear escaped the corner of her eye. "My brother's name is Michael. Michael Myers," she said softly.

Bosco stared at her. "Michael Myers?" he repeated, stunned.

Faith nodded slowly, a sad smile on her lips.

He shook his head, the name echoing in his mind and conjuring up images from nightmares he'd had as a kid after hearing the news reports and his parents talking about the killer. He looked back at her, tried to imagine how she must be feeling at that moment, and wordlessly wrapped his arms around her.

She buried her face in his shoulder as he held her. He felt her trembling against him--from shock or fear or cold--maybe all three. He didn't know and he wasn't sure it mattered as he began to rub her back again, trying to soothe her.

After several long, silent moments, she pulled away slightly to look at him. "Everything I've ever known has been a lie," she whispered, teras still shimmering in her eyes. "My parents, my brother, Fred..."

"Faith, don't do this to yourself," Bosco said softly, shaking his head.

Faith gently touched his lips with the tip of her index finger, silencing him. "Everything in my life has been a lie. Except for you."

He gazed at her.

"You've been the only true thing in my life, Bosco," she whispered. "The only one I can count on."

He was a little taken aback by the fact that her words reflected exactly how he'd always felt about her.

They stared at each other for a long moment.

Then she leaned forward and hesitantly brushed her lips against his.

For a second he was sure his heart had stopped.

Then she pulled away, her eyes full of uncertainty.

Bosco couldn't stop himself from reaching out and gently pulling her back to him, their lips meeting again. His eyes closed as the kiss deepened. Warmth spread throughout him and he pulled her even closer, his hands supporting her back and neck as he pulled her onto his lap.

He groaned when her hands slid under his shirt and came to rest against the bare skin of his chest.

The kiss ended and he leaned his head against hers as he tried to catch his breath and she did the same. He could taste the salt from her tears on his lips, could feel the heat radiating from her body.

Faith inched back away from him, but only for a small distance.

Bosco watched as her hands slowly lowered the zipper of the sweatshirt jacket she was wearing. She shrugged out of it almost effortlessly, then reached for the hem of her t-shirt.

He caught her hands, stopped her movement. "Faith..."

She looked at him pleadingly. "I want this."

God help him if he had to be the sane one here. "I do, too, but not like this, not when you're so upset." He took a deep breath, trying to regain what few senses he had left.

"Bosco, please. I need you," Faith whispered, tears sparkling in her eyes again.

He swallowed hard, trying to recall if she'd said those words to him before. No, he thought. He definitely would have remembered if she had. He'd wanted her for as long as he could recall, but had never even allowed himself to seriously indulge in the thought because this was Faith. Why the hell would she ever want someone like him? Let alone need him the way he needed her. She was the strong one, the care taker, the comforter.

And now by some screwed up twist of fate, their roles had been reversed. She was turning to him for comfort, for strength.

Because she needed him.

Faith leaned forward again and kissed him, her hands burning his skin where they rested on his cheeks.

His hands threaded through her hair as he kissed her back, unable to make himself pull away, to stop this before they went too far.

This time her hands dropped to the bottom of his shirt as they kissed and a second later, she had it pulled up, breaking their kiss only long enough to remove the shirt completely, discarding it carelessly onto the floor, instantly kissing him again.

His heart pounded rapidly as she stopped again a moment later and removed her own shirt slowly, doubt in her eyes.

Bosco gazed at her, unable to look away despite the sudden nervousness that flooded him. He didn't even have to wonder about the source of that feeling. He'd slept with plenty of women before and it had never been anything but a good time. But this wasn't just any woman.

This was *Faith.*

The one woman all those others had never measured up to. The one he'd dreamt about, secretly wanted, worshiped and loved from a distance for as long as he could remember though he had never really admitted it to himself before that moment. And she meant everything to him.

He leaned forward, gently swept aside her strawberry blond hair and kissed her neck. He felt her hands clutch onto his shoulders, heard her sharp intake of breath as he began tracing circular patterns on her bare back with his fingers as he kissed his way up to her lips again.

"Bosco, please," she whispered between kisses.

He drew back, then reached up and touched her face, forcing her to look at him. He had to be sure that this was what she wanted. He needed to hear the words. He gazed at her intently, silent. Waiting.

As though she was reading his mind, Faith held his gaze and whispered, "Make love to me, Boz. Please."

Their lips met again and didn't part as he stood up and pulled her to her feet and they slowly made their way to his bedroom.

Bosco kicked the door shut behind them as he guided her backward and onto the bed, just as lost in her eyes as she was in his, both unaware of the figure lurking on the street below his apartment window. The figure waiting for just the right moment to unleash his evil.


	4. Chapter 4

Apartment of Maurice Boscorelli, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
8:05 a.m.

Faith opened her eyes to see a faint light flooding into the bedroom from the window. Morning already? she thought with disbelief. It felt like she had just gone to bed.

She closed her eyes again, a faint smile touching her lips as she remembered she wasn't at her place, but at Bosco's. She stretched her arms over her head, yawned, then turned over, expecting to find him still asleep.

Instead, she realized with an immediate sense of anxiety, that he wasn't there at all.

Faith sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Boz?" she called.

He didn't answer.

Maybe he's in the bathroom, she thought hopefully.

She swung her legs off the bed and stood up. She picked up Bosco's NYPD shirt from the floor and pulled it on over her head. She raked a hand through her hair as she walked down the hall to the bathroom.

"Bosco?" She pushed the door open and flipped on the light. He wasn't there.

Not wanting to jump to any conclusions, she turned the light off again and walked out to the living room, glancing around the kitchen. He wasn't in either place.

Her anxiety began to increase as she walked over to his kitchen table. She picked up the short note he'd written and quickly read it, her heart sinking.

Went out. Be back soon.  
-Bosco

Faith blinked back the rapidly forming tears in her eyes. She clutched the paper in her hand as she stood alone in his apartment. Obviously he had regretted what happened between them and thought it would be easier for both of them if he just wasn't there when she woke up.

A sudden, intense feeling of despair stabbed her heart. She'd been abandoned by the one person she'd always been able to trust. A tear slid down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away, anger covering up the sadness.

This was classic Bosco behavior.

Why had she thought she'd be any different than all the other one night stands and passing flings he was so well-known for? Had she honestly thought he'd suddenly fall in love with her of all people? Not likely.

She shook her head, disgusted with herself for being so weak to turn to him in the first place. She dropped his note back onto the tabletop and walked into the living room. She picked her sweatshirt off the floor, then walked back to his bedroom feeling numb.

She reached down to pick up her jeans, memories from earlier that morning permeating her mind.

Faith remembered how he had slid his hands over hers, interlocking their fingers as they made love. He had kept his eyes on hers the whole time, gazed at her with such intensity that it had startled her.

Fred had always kept his eyes shut.

Probably easier to picture Holly that way, she thought bitterly.

She pushed away all thoughts of Fred, of Holly, of Bosco. She had more important things to worry about. Like her sister. That's what she needed to focus on now.

Faith quickly pulled her jeans on and started to change out of Bosco's NYPD shirt. She stopped, closing her eyes tightly, inhaling the scent of his cologne lingering on the shirt she was wearing. She hesitated, then left his shirt on, and folded her own.

So it was weak. It was the only piece of Bosco she had to hold onto. Because he didn't want her.

She wiped away another tear that trickled down her cheek as she walked back to the kitchen. She picked up a pen off the table and on the other side of the note he'd left her, she wrote three words.

Then, taking a deep breath to compose herself, Faith headed to the front door. If she managed to survive the day, then she'd figure out how to deal with losing Bosco's friendship. Right now she had work to do.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bosco whistled as he walked up the stairs of his apartment building, carrying a paper bag in his arms. He quietly unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped inside. He set the bag down on the countertop and pulled out a carton of strawberries and a bag of bagels he'd bought. He smiled as he sniffed the white rose he'd gotten from a street vendor on his way back. Yeah, Faith will like this, he thought.

He closed his eyes as he thought about what happened between them. Making love to Faith had been the most amazing experience he'd ever had. He'd been unable to take his eyes off her the entire time. It was like he'd realized for the first time where he truly belonged and it was right there with her.

He hadn't fallen asleep afterward, but lay there holding her in his arms as she slept. He'd spent nearly four hours just listening to the sound of her breathing with a feeling of utter and complete peace and calm that he'd never known existed.

He'd dozed off around seven, but had woken up a half-hour later, feeling hungry. He'd decided not to wake Faith and had gone to get something for them to eat for breakfast. He remembered her once telling him that she loved strawberries, so he'd decided on a light breakfast. He could take her out to lunch later. Much later, he thought with a smile as he headed back to his bedroom, carrying the rose.

He stopped in his tracks the second he saw that the bed was empty. His gaze dropped to the floor. Her clothes were gone.

Bosco felt a knot form in his stomach as he walked through his apartment looking for her. He finally made his way back to the kitchen where he spotted the note on the table.

Scratched across the paper in her familiar handwriting, there were three words written:

I'm sorry.  
-Faith

His heart sank and he sat down in one of the kitchen chairs, dropping the rose onto the tabletop. "Son of a bitch," he muttered.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

55th Precinct Station House, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
9:16 a.m.

"Ma'am? What are you doing here so early? Did you change to day shift?"

Faith looked up and saw Steve Gusler standing a few feet away, dressed in his uniform. "Hi, Steve. No, I'm not on 'til 3," she confirmed tiredly. "I just came to use one of the computers for some research."

"Oh."

"Are you liking Midnights?"

"Yeah, they're much quieter," he said, nodding.

"You just finish your shift?"

"Yeah, I just had to finish up some paperwork."

She nodded. "Well, go home and get some sleep, okay?"

"I will. Thanks." He turned away, then paused, glancing over his shoulder. "Happy Halloween, Ma'am."

Faith cringed slightly. "Thanks. You too, Steve." She walked down the hallway and poked her head into one of the offices with a computer terminal, relieved to see no one was there.

She drew in a deep breath and slid into the chair, waiting for the computer to boot up. When it did, she quickly logged on to the Internet and did a search on 'Michael Myers.'

Literally hundreds of website links popped up and her eyes widened slightly. She scanned the site addresses until she found one that read Chicago Tribune, figuring it was more reliable than personal pages. She clicked on the link and waited impatiently for the page to load.

The headline read:

Six Year Old Institutionalized for Murdering Sister

She quickly read the article that had been written in 1963. Apparently Judith Myers--my sister, she thought fleetingly--had been babysitting her younger brother Michael while their parents had been at some Halloween party. When their parents had gotten home, they'd found him outside their home dressed in his Halloween costume, and clutching a blood knife in his hand. He'd stabbed his older sister multiple times and by the time the paramedics had arrived, she'd already bled to death.

Faith swallowed hard, a chill passing through her body. If he'd committed such a horrendous act at six years old, what was he capable of now, 41 years later?

She forced aside her feelings, determined to learn everything she possibly could about her brother, about the terrible things he had done. She had to, if for no other reason but to find out what she was up against if her sister was right and he did decide to come after her.

She clicked on the link at the bottom of the web page that said 'related articles.' She read dozens of articles about the people he had killed and how he had never again been caught. Each story was a little more grusome than the previous one.

Faith clicked on another link. The headline of this particular story read:

Terrorized Sister Takes Revenge on Wrong Man

With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she began to read.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sundown Cafe, New York City  
October 31st, 2004-Halloween  
12:04 p.m.

Doc walked into his favorite coffee shop that afternoon, wanting to read the newspaper and relax a bit before his shift started.

He stood in line at the counter, waited his turn, then ordered his usual cup of coffee. He turned to find a booth to sit in and stopped when he saw a familiar figure in the corner alone, staring out the window at the dreary day as she drank her own cup of coffee. He paused for a moment, but curiosity got the best of him. He walked over to her.

"Excuse me."

She jumped, startled at his voice. The coffee cup slipped out of her hands and shattered on the tabletop.

"I'm sorry," Doc said immediately, grabbing a handful of napkins off the next table and helping her wipe up the mess. "I didn't mean to scare you."

She looked up at him, her eyes widening slightly with recognition. "You're one of the paramedics--"

"From last night," he finished, giving her a small smile. "Yeah, I am. And you're the lady who disappeared into thin air when my partner and I drove you to the hospital."

She looked down. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay." Doc studied her for a moment. "My name is Monte. Monte Parker. Everyone calls me Doc," he said, extending his hand out.

She hesitated, then shook his hand. "Laurie Strode."

The name sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't recall where he'd heard it before. "Nice to meet you, Laurie."

"Nice to meet you, too." She withdrew her hand and turned to glance out the window.

"I don't mean to sound nosy or anything, but...you seemed pretty upset last night."

Laurie looked at him again, swallowing hard. "It's sort of a long story."

Doc nodded slowly. "Are you in some kind of trouble?" he asked, dropping his voice. "Because if you are, I have a lot of friends that could help you."

She smiled sadly. "Thanks for the offer, but...I don't think anyone can help me at this point."

He frowned. "You might be surprised." He slid into the seat across from her.

Laurie looked down at the table and remained silent.

Doc sighed lightly, then took a drink of his coffee. He looked at her again. "Did you find your sister?"

"Yeah, actually, I think I did. She's meeting me here in a little while."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sundown Cafe, New York City  
October 31st, 2004-Halloween  
12:48 p.m.

Faith stood outside the cafe for several long moments, the cool autumn wind tousling her hair as she stood under the awning to keep from getting wet in the drizzling rain. She felt like she was being watched and she turned around in a full circle, scanning the sidewalks and rooftops for any sign of her brother. When she didn't see anyone wearing a white face mask, she closed her eyes momentarily, letting out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. She finally reached for the door handle and stepped inside the coffee house. She glanced around, looking for Laurie.

My sister, she told herself, a mixture of emotions flooding her. She spotted her over in the corner, sitting across a table from...Doc?

Faith stared at him in surprise. How did they meet? she wondered, confused. She took a deep breath and walked over to them.

Laurie and Doc looked up.

Doc looked just as surprised to see her as she felt seeing him. "Faith, hi."

"Hi," she answered, her gaze drifting to her sister.

"Hi," Laurie said quietly.

Doc looked back and forth between them. "Wait a second. Are you two--?"

"Sisters," Faith finished.

Laurie stared at her.

"I didn't know you had a sister," Doc said to Faith, his eyebrows furrowed.

She shrugged slightly. "I seem to be hearing that a lot lately," she murmured, her eyes focused on Laurie.

He looked between them again, a frown settling on his face. "Well, I'll let you two talk," he said, standing up, his gaze on Faith. "I'll see you out there."

Faith nodded and gave him a small smile. She waited until he'd left before sitting down in the spot he'd vacated, folding her hands together on the table.

"You saw your parents?"

"Yeah, I saw them," she said softly, her dad's angry voice echoing in her mind. _"She doesn't want me for a father anymore than I ever wanted her for a daughter. At least now she knows why!"_

"What did they say?"

"That it was true." Faith raised her eyes to meet her sister's gaze. "They didn't want to tell me because they wanted to protect me. Or at least my mother did."

"I'm sorry," Laurie said quietly, picking up a napkin on the table and twisting it in her hands.

She hesitated for a long moment. "I need you to tell me what happened."

Laurie's gaze dropped to the table and she took a deep breath. "In 1978? Or six years ago?"

"Both," Faith answered softly. She had read the newspaper accounts of the events, but she needed to hear what happened from this woman. From her *sister*.

She nodded slowly and turned her head to look out the window. "I was 17. It was Halloween night. I was babysitting for a boy that I babysat for all the time, Tommy." Her eyes grew distant as the memories took over. "My friend Annie was babysitting for a little girl across the street. She brought Lindsey over for me to watch so she could go out with her boyfriend. Later, I got this phone call and I thought it was her, but she didn't say anything. There were these weird sounds on the other end of the line...at first I thought maybe she was playing some kind of joke on me, but then--" She shook her head. "I don't know, I just had this feeling. So after I put the kids to bed, I went across the street to the Wallace's house."

Faith felt her own stomach knot with anxiety. "You know what? You don't have to--"

"Yes, I do." Laurie turned her gaze back to her sister. "You have to know what he's capable of." She took another deep breath, her eyes drifting shut. "When I got to the Wallace's house, the doors were unlocked so I went inside. It was dark and it was quiet. It was so quiet," she whispered, her eyebrows furrowing. "I went up the stairs. And found Annie in the bedroom, dead." Her voice shook. "He had um...he had stolen our older sister's headstone and set it there above her. He'd also killed one of my other friends, Lynda, and her boyfriend. I started to run and then there he was. I fell down the stairs and I managed to get out of the house, but...he followed me across the street to Tommy's house." She shuddered.

Faith hesitated, then reached out and touched her sister's hand. To her surprise, Laurie gripped onto her without hesitation.

"He trapped me in this closet and he was stabbing the doors with the knife he had. I grabbed this wire hanger and unfurled it, and I stabbed him in the eye with it and he fell down. I got out of the closet and told the kids to get out of the house, to run down the street to the neighbor's house and call the police. And they did. I could hear them screaming for help before they even got to the street. I didn't hear Michael get up. I was in shock. And then the next thing I knew, there he was again. He stabbed me in the arm, but before he could kill me, this doctor, the psychiatrist who had treated Michael since he was six, he showed up out of nowhere. And he shot him. Again and again. Michael fell off the balcony of the Doyles' house. But when the police arrived, he was gone." Laurie opened her eyes and looked at Faith.

Faith could see the fear in her eyes, the terror that their brother had caused her. She swallowed hard.

"They took me to the hospital that night. He came after me again. And he killed so many people," she whispered, shaking her head. "There was a fire. An explosion. We thought he was dead, but then...we found out that his body was never recovered that night. After that, I ran. I changed my name and I ran. And I tried to hide. I became this whole other person with a whole different life, one that didn't include a brother that was trying to kill her."

"You faked your own death," Faith said softly.

Laurie nodded. "Twice." She looked out the window again. "The first time, I became Kerry Tate and I moved to California to run a school there. But Michael managed to find me, even twenty years later. He killed the man I loved. He tried to kill my son and he killed a lot of people that I knew." A tear slid down her cheek. "So I killed him. Only it wasn't really him," she whispered. She pulled her hand away from Faith's to wipe the tears off her face. "I killed an innocent man because I thought he was my brother."

She wanted to say something, anything, offer some words of comfort to her sister, but didn't know what she could say.

"The guilt drove me crazy," Laurie whispered, drawing in a shaky breath. "They uh...they locked me away in an institution. I was safe there for a couple years, but...I always knew he'd come back for me. So I tried to prepare myself. I tried to take him out before he killed me. I set a trap for him last Halloween. And it would have worked, but...I had to be sure it was him this time. I couldn't take the chance that I was killing another innocent person. And that's when he grabbed me. We were hanging off the roof top of the institution and he stabbed me in the back. And then he dropped me."

Faith waited nervously for her to finish, her hands clenched together.

"When I woke up, there was a man...a doctor...who helped me. He saved my life. And when I was recovered enough to walk again, he told me to run. That my secret was safe with him. He'd let everyone believe that I was dead. That my body had been stolen from the morgue." Laurie swallowed hard, dropping her gaze to the tabletop. "No one in my family knows that I'm still alive. Not even my son. It's safer for everyone that way." She lifted her eyes to look at Faith. "But when I found out that I had a sister...I had to find you, to warn you. Because if I could find out, it was only a matter of time before Michael did, too."

She nodded slowly in understanding, feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything she'd just been told. She shivered lightly and pulled her jean jacket closer to her. "Thank you for putting yourself in that kind of danger to warn me."

"You're my sister," Laurie whispered, a sad smile on her face. "What choice did I have?"

The alarm on her watch beeped and Faith jumped, startled. She glanced down. It was 2:55. "Damn. I have to get work. Where are you staying tonight?"

"I'm not." She shook her head. "Staying in one place...makes me too much of a target. It'll be harder for him to find me if I'm moving."

"Yeah. Of course." Faith let out a breath. "Well, look..." She reached into her purse and pulled out a pen. She scratched a number across one of the napkins on the table. "This is my cell phone number. I have to work tonight, but...if you need anything, or if you see him, call me, please."

"Faith?" Laurie looked up at her as Faith rose to her feet.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful," she whispered.

Faith held her gaze for a long moment and nodded. "I will. You, too, okay?"

Laurie nodded slowly, still staring at her. Then she rose to her feet and hesitated before putting her arms around her sister.

Faith closed her eyes and hugged her back. "I'll see you later."

"I really hope so," Laurie murmured.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

55th Precinct Station House, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
3:06 p.m.

Bosco stormed into the locker room, carrying his duffel bag on his shoulder. He looked around and spotted two of his colleagues changing into their uniforms. "Sullivan, Davis...you guys seen Yokas?" he asked instantly.

"Nope," Davis answered, leaning down to tie his shoe.

"Not yet," Sully told him.

"Damn it," he muttered, shaking his head. He headed for his locker and quickly spun the combination on the lock. He yanked out a clean uniform and slipped his shoes off as he threw the bag down on the bench.

"Everything all right, Bosco?" Sully asked, concerned as he watched his colleague's angry actions.

"Peachy," he replied sarcastically as he pulled his jacket off and shoved it into his locker.

Davis raised his eyebrows and glanced at his partner. "All right then. Shall we go to roll call?"

"Yeah, good idea," Sully responded, frowning as he glanced at Bosco once more. They headed out of the room.

Bosco closed his eyes and leaned his head against the locker door, letting out a heavy sigh. "Come on, Faith, where the hell are you?" he wondered aloud.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Faith walked into the roll call room five minutes late, sliding into an empty seat toward the back, hoping no one had noticed.

"Yokas, you must be spending too much time with your partner," Christopher remarked with a smirk as he glanced back at her. "See me after."

She kept her face blank, not giving the bastard the satisfaction of a dirty look. Any other day, she'd be annoyed, even pissed, but today she had far worse things to worry about that getting a command discipline from Jason Christopher. She glanced around the room and almost instantly linked gazes with Bosco, who had turned to look at her. She couldn't read the expression on his face and it bothered her. Had he requested they be paired up differently that day? For the rest of their working lives?

She finally looked away from her partner and tried to focus on what Swerksy and Christopher were saying, but found her mind drifting back to her sister's words. <"...when I found out that I had a sister...I had to find you, to warn you. Because if I could find out, it was only a matter of time before Michael did, too.">

Faith shivered in her seat and glanced around the room again, expecting to see everyone's eyes on her. But no one was watching. No one that she could see, anyway.

Christopher dismissed the officers from roll call, but motioned her to the front of the room. She stood up and walked over to him, not even really caring what he had to say. She wasn't convinced she was going to live through her shift, so what difference did it make if she got in trouble or not?

"You and your partner can meet me tonight at 8:00 in the parking lot at King and Durbin for your command discipline for missing the first part of roll call," he informed her with a smirk.

She turned to see who she'd be working with and was startled to see Bosco standing there waiting, a pissed off look on his face as he glared at Christopher. He met her gaze for a brief second, then looked down at the floor. She swallowed hard.

"Oh, and by the way," Christopher said, his smile widening slightly. "After our meeting tonight, you two can finish off your shift patrolling your sector on foot."

Faith's jaw clenched involuntarily and without a word of response to the sergeant, she headed for the door, Bosco right behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

55th Precinct Firehouse, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
4:30 p.m.

Alex Taylor climbed into the driver's side of Boyd 55-3 with an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She wrapped her hands around the steering wheel and glanced over at her partner.

Kim Zambrano looked back at her with furrowed eyebrows. "Something wrong?"

She hesitated. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"No, I..." Alex shook her head. "I don't know. I feel weird."

"Weird, how?" Kim asked, a look of concern on her face.

"I don't know, weird like..." She searched for the words but couldn't find them. She sighed heavily and shook her head again. "I can't explain it."

"Well, do you feel sick?"

"No, it's not an I'm-coming-down-with-the-flu-weird. It's more of an I-feel-like-something-big-is-going-to-happen-weird."

Kim's frown deepened. "Like what?"

"See, I don't know. I have no idea."

"Well, it's Halloween. Weird things always happen on Halloween."

"Right. Yeah, that's probably it." Alex started the ambulance's engine and pulled it out of the firehouse and onto the road.

Neither of the paramedics noticed the figure in the white mask standing on the other side of the street, staring after them.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MacArthur Blvd., New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
5:22 p.m.

Bosco sat tensely in the passenger side of 55-David staring out the window. Neither he nor Faith had said a single word during their shift so far. He turned his head to glance at her and saw that her hands were clenched tightly around the wheel as she drove, staring at the road ahead of them. "Are we gonna talk about it?" he asked finally, his voice calm, level.

"Talk about what?" she responded, a cool distance to her tone. She didn't even bother to look at him.

"What happened between us," he said, annoyed because he knew she knew *exactly* what he'd meant.

"What's to talk about?"

Bosco stared at her in disbelief. There was a moment of silence. "So you're telling me that you have nothing to say?"

She didn't answer.

"Well, *I* have something to say," he informed her angrily.

"Do we really have to do this right now?"

Bosco glared at her. "Yes."

"Fine." She glanced at him for a second, a blank expression on her face. But her eyes were full of all the emotions she was trying to hold in. He just wished he knew what those emotions were. "What happened between us was a mistake. I know that now. I shouldn't have come to you like that. So I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

His stomach knotted. "A mistake," he repeated dully, looking out his window. She regretted what happened between them. No wonder she'd left before he got back. He shook his head, feeling hurt. Should've known better than to hope for the impossible, he thought bitterly. She'd never fall for someone like him. He wasn't good enough for her, not by a long shot.

"55-David, there's a reported disturbance at the corner of Grand and Division."

"10-4, Central. Grand and Division," Faith said into her radio. She flipped on the lights and turned the squad around.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Laurie walked slowly down the sidewalk among the thinning crowd, glancing over her shoulder every few seconds, just to make sure her brother wasn't following her. She clutched her purse tightly against her and picked up her pace a little. She glanced over her shoulder again.

Suddenly she was grabbed roughly by the arm.

Laurie whipped her head back around, her heart leaping into her throat as she opened her mouth to scream.

"Give me your purse!"

She stared in disbelief as the thug standing in front of her glared at her menacingly. "What?"

"You heard me, bitch! Hand it over!"

"Oh, you have *got* to be kidding me," she said in exasperation.

The man pulled a switchblade out of his jeans pocket and held it up threateningly, waving it in front of her face. "Does it look like I'm joking?" he demanded.

Before she could respond, she caught sight of movement behind the mugger. She watched in horror as the man's eyes widened, his mouth opening in a silent scream of pain as the butcher knife ripped through the flesh of his stomach. Blood splattered onto Laurie's jacket and face and a strangled cry passed her lips as her brother let the man's lifeless body drop to the ground.

For a moment, she couldn't even breathe. She stood rooted to the sidewalk, staring at her brother, whose real face she'd only seen once. He stared back at her from behind his white face mask, his eyes blank, expressionless. Devoid of any humanity.

Then Michael raised the knife up again, its metal surface glinting under the street light.

And she began to run.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Faith climbed out of the squad car, momentarily relieved to be out of the enclosed space with Bosco. Being that close to him and not being able to talk to him, not being able to be honest with him, was twisting her heart into knots. But, she reminded herself, this is the way it has to be. He doesn't love me that way.

She shoved her thoughts and emotions aside as she and Bosco approached the three people standing outside of an apartment building. One older man, white, probably in his mid-to-late forties, and two younger white boys, one with brown hair and the other with blond stood there.

"There a problem here?" Bosco asked in an annoyed tone as his hands rested on his gun belt.

"These little punks threw eggs at my building!" the older man said angrily, his face red as he held onto the hooded sweatshirt of the little blond-haired boy.

"He's a liar!" the other boy said.

"I caught you on videotape!" the man replied. He turned to Bosco. "I want them both arrested."

Faith glanced at the boys. They couldn't have been more than nine or ten years old. "Do your parents know where you are?" she asked them, folding her arms across her chest.

They both looked up at her with wide eyes.

"Answer her," Bosco said firmly.

"No, Ma'am," the little brown-haired boy answered, looking down at the ground.

"Didn't you hear me? I want them thrown in jail!"

"How old are you?" Faith asked the kids, ignoring the man's demand.

"Eleven," the blond kid told her.

"And you're out by yourselves on Halloween egging people's houses?"

"I want them locked up," the man said insistently.

Irritated, Bosco looked at him. "What's your name?"

"Roy Donovan."

"Listen, Roy. My partner and I are going to take these kids home to their parents," Faith informed him.

"No, you're not! I'm pressing charges!" he argued, glaring at her.

"Sir, with all due respect, they're *kids.*"

"So? Vandalism is vandalism!"

"Did they hurt anyone? Break any windows? Harm any animals?" she asked, losing patience with the man.

"No, but--"

"Then no real harm was done. Your building got hit by a couple of eggs. It's not the end of the world!"

"Yeah, well, what about next time?"

Bosco saw her narrow her eyes and knew she was a verve away from doing or saying something she'd regret later. "They're sorry, aren't you, boys?" he asked, glancing at the kids.

"Yes, Sir," the brown-haired boy answered.

"And you'll never do it again, right?"

"No, Sir," the blond replied, shaking his head solemnly.

"So they say," Roy muttered.

"And I'm sure they wouldn't mind coming over here tomorrow afternoon to clean up the mess they made." Bosco looked down at them sternly. "Right?"

The two boys exchanged a look. "Right," they answered glumly in unison.

"There. They'll clean up the egg, no harm done. All right, Roy?"

Roy heaved a sigh and eyed the boys suspiciously. "Okay. But if you're not here by noon, I will press charges and send you two little hoodlums to jail!"

Faith resisted the temptation to roll her eyes as she guided the boys toward the squad car. She held the door to the backseat open and they quickly scrambled inside.

"This is gonna be a long night," Bosco mumbled under his breath.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elm Street, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
6:59 p.m.

Kim sat in the passenger seat of Boyd 55-3, wondering if her son was having fun trick-or-treating with Jimmy.

Alex glanced at her sideways. "So what was Joey going as for Halloween?"

She smiled slightly. "Spider Man."

"He's still into Spider Man?" her partner asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Guess kids don't always grow out of everything."

"Yeah, I guess--" Suddenly there was a loud explosion and the bus jolted. Alex quickly stepped on the brakes. "Son of a bitch!"

"Did we just--"

"Blow a tire?" she finished. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what just happened." She put the bus into 'park.'

Kim sighed. "I'll call it in."

"Don't bother. There's a spare in the back." Alex reached for the door handle.

Kim caught her arm. "You know how?"

"Yeah, of course. You don't?"

"Not on a bus."

"There's really not that much difference." She started to climb out of the driver's side door.

"You need some help?"

"Nah. You can wait up here. It won't take long." Alex gave her a small smile as she got out of the driver's seat.

"Okay. I'll just...wait here." Kim leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alex walked around to the back of the bus and opened the doors. She climbed in and unlocked the storage space where the spare tire was kept. She pulled it out and examined it. "Oh, great," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Hey, Kim, you're never gonna believe this. The spare's flat, too!"

"I'll call it in," Kim responded without turning around.

"Good idea." She sighed and locked the spare tire compartment once again. She heard a scuffling sound behind her and turned to look.

There was no one there.

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and a chill ran down her spine. She slowly backed out of the bus, planting her feet on solid ground again. As she turned to close the door, she found herself face-to-face with a tall figure wearing coveralls and a white-faced Halloween mask.

She jumped, startled by his sudden appearance. "Jesus. You scared the hell out of me!"

The man didn't respond. He just stood there, staring at her.

Alex swallowed hard and took a step away from him. Her gaze dropped to his hands that hung limply at his sides. He clutched a bloody butcher knife in his right hand.

Her eyes widened as he raised it and moved toward her quickly.

She screamed.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kim's eyes flew open and she quickly turned around in her seat. "Alex? What's wrong?" she called, worried. She didn't see her partner anywhere, but the back doors of the bus remained wide open. "Alex?"

She didn't respond.

With a sigh, Kim set her radio down on the dashboard and opened the passenger side door. She climbed out. "Alex?" She shut the door behind her. "This better not be some stupid Halloween prank, because I am really not in the mood," she announced as she walked the length of the ambulance.

She rubbed the back of her neck and rounded the corner. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw her friend lying on the ground, blood gushing from a large wound in her abdomen.

"Alex!" she cried, shocked. She dropped to her side and quickly felt for a pulse. She had one, but it was weak. Kim stood up. She had to get help. Alex needed to get to the hospital ASAP and she couldn't take care of her and drive at the same time. She ran back toward the passenger door and then froze when a figure stepped out from the front of the bus, a knife in his hand.

"Oh, my God," she whispered.

The man in the mask moved toward her without a sound.

Instinct took over and she quickly grabbed the passenger side door handle and pulled. She flung it open, slamming the door into the man. He stumbled backward from the force of the blow and she ran to the back of the bus again, carefully stepping over Alex as she climbed into the back and grabbed the fire extinguisher.

She held her breath, waiting silently.

A moment later he appeared.

Kim let out a strangled cry as she rammed the extinguisher into the man's face as hard as she could.

The knife slipped from his hand as he fell down, covering up the mask he wore with both hands. He lay still a moment later, his hands falling to the ground limply.

Her heart pounding rapidly against her chest, Kim set the extinguisher down and crawled out of the bus. She knelt down beside Alex and checked her pulse again. "Just hang on, I'm gonna get you some help," she whispered.

The man began to stir.

"Oh, shit!" she muttered in disbelief, her eyes widening. She slid her arms underneath Alex's shoulders and pulled her up. Her friend moaned in pain despite her unconscious state, but Kim didn't have time to be gentle as she hauled her up and into the back of the bus. She laid her on the floor and reached out to pull the doors shut.

The man was on his feet again and he slashed at her arm with his knife.

Kim shrieked and reached behind her with one hand, grabbing onto a hypodermic needle. She swung it toward him and stabbed him in the right eye with it.

When he stumbled back, she quickly shut and locked the doors. Then she scrambled to the front of the bus and grabbed her radio off the dashboard. "Boyd 55-3 to Central! I need the police at--" Before she could even finish her sentence, glass shattered and she screamed as the man reached his hand through the broken passenger side window and tried to grab her.

The radio clattered to the floorboard. She quickly slid into the driver's seat and started the engine, gripping the steering wheel with both hands. She looked over at the passenger side and saw that the man had disappeared. She wasn't about to stick around and find out where he'd gone, either. As she faced forward again, she shrieked as she found herself staring at the masked man, only the windshield between them.

Her breath caught in her throat as he cocked his head to one side and looked at her for a moment. Then he drew his hand back and slammed his fist into the glass, cracking it.

Kim shoved her foot onto the gas pedal and spun the tires as she accelerated quickly, then slammed hard on the brakes.

The man was thrown off the hood of the bus and he landed in a heap in the middle of the road.

She sat in the driver's seat fora moment, frozen. Then she watched with shock as he climbed to his feet once more.

He started to walk toward the bus, knife still in his hand.

Kim pressed her foot down on the gas pedal and zoomed toward him at 60 miles an hour. She flinched as the bus struck his body with a loud thud and he rolled off the hood and onto the road behind them. She stopped several feet away and glanced into the rearview mirror.

"No fucking way," she whispered as she watched him stand up.

Without anymore hesitation, she floored the gas and headed for Mercy hospital.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"How is she?" Davis demanded as he and Sully walked over to where Kim sat between Doc and Carlos in the waiting room.

"They took her up to surgery a little while ago," Doc informed them, his hand resting on Kim's back.

Sully saw the bloodstains on the medic's arms and clothes. "What happened, Kim?" he asked gently.

"He just...came from out of nowhere," she said, shaking her head, a dazed look on her pale face. "Alex...went to change the flat tire on the bus and then I heard her scream..."

Sully glanced at his partner, saw the tense expression on his face. He and Alex had been involved in an on-again, off-again relationship for the past three years. They'd currently been in off-again mode, and in fact, Davis had been seeing some woman he'd met at Haggerty's a few nights ago, but Sully knew that his partner cared deeply for the firefighter/occasional paramedic. He turned his attention to Kim once more.

"I went to see what was wrong and I just saw her lying there on the ground, covered in blood...there was so much blood," she whispered. Her eyes filled with tears. "I went to call for help and there he was."

"Can you tell us what he looked like?"

She closed her eyes, her eyebrows furrowed. "Tall. Dark brown hair. He was wearing coveralls..."

"What about his face?"

"I didn't see his face. He had on some kind of a white mask."

Sully frowned. "Did he say anything?"

"No, nothing." Kim shook her head, then rested her forehead on her hands. "I hit him with a fire extinguisher and pulled Alex into the back of the ambulance. When I went to close the doors, he cut me." She sat up again and revealed the white bandage wound around her upper arm. A hint of redness was starting to seep through. "I managed to shut the doors and I tried to radio for backup, but he broke the passenger side window. So I got in the driver's seat and started the engine." Kim opened her eyes again. "I hit him with the bus."

"Is he dead?" Sully asked, surprised.

"No."

"But if you hit him--"

"I hit him at 60 miles an hour, Sully. And when I looked in the rearview mirror, he was already back up on his feet."

"You're sure you hit him?"

"Positive."

"So, wait," Davis spoke up. "You're saying you hit this bastard with the ambulance at 60 miles an hour and he got back up?"

Kim nodded, her hands shaking.

"How the hell is that even possible?"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"All right, move it. There's nothing wrong with you," Bosco said snidely as he shoved their prisoner ahead of them, toward the exit of Mercy Hospital. They'd been there for the past hour, waiting for the man to be checked out after he complained of a stomach ache when they'd arrested him. It was just a stall tactic and they both knew it, but they'd had no choice but to have him examined.

Faith followed her partner, her gaze sweeping the waiting room and her eyes widening as she saw all the familiar faces from the firehouse. "Bosco."

"What?" he demanded, irritated as he turned to look at her.

She nodded toward the waiting room.

He frowned. "Think one of the guys got hurt?"

"I don't know," she murmured.

Bosco grabbed hold of the man they'd arrested and cuffed him to a chair near the exit. "Don't go anywhere," he said with a smirk. He turned and followed his partner across the room.

Doc rose to his feet to greet them.

"What happened?" Faith asked worriedly.

"You guys haven't heard?" he asked, looking back and forth between her and Bosco in surprise.

"Heard what?" Bosco asked with a frown.

"Alex and Kim were attacked."

"Attacked?" Faith repeated, her eyes wide.

Doc nodded grimly.

"They all right?" Bosco asked.

"Alex is up in surgery. She, uh...she lost a lot of blood. They're not sure she's going to make it," he said quietly.

"Damn," he said under his breath. "And Kim?"

"She was cut, but she's okay otherwise." He shook his head. "I'm not sure she'll be able to handle it if..." He cut himself off. "Sullivan and Davis are out with the detectives at the crime scene."

"And the guy who attacked them?" she asked, lifting her gaze to Doc's face.

"Is apparently doped up on PCP. Kim ran him over with the bus and the guy got back up."

"Are you kidding me?" Bosco asked in disbelief.

"What did he look like?" Faith asked anxiously.

Doc looked at her. "Tall, dark hair. Wearing some kind of white Halloween face mask."

The color drained from her face and she met Bosco's gaze, feeling sick to her stomach.

"There's the doctor that was working on Alex. I'll see you guys later. Be careful out there," Doc said as he walked past them.

Faith swallowed hard and then turned and headed for the exit wordlessly.

"Hey, wait up," Bosco said as he followed her. When she didn't even slow down, he picked up his pace, caught up with her and grabbed her arm. "What are you doing?"

She turned to face him. "What I have to do," Faith answered quietly. She pulled free of his grip and started walking again. "I'm going to stop my brother."

"And how are you gonna do that?"

"By giving him what he wants." She walked out of the hospital and outside to the parking lot.

Bosco stared after her for a moment, his gaze drifting to their prisoner still handcuffed to the chair by the exit, then hurried and caught up with her again on the sidewalk. "And what's that?"

Faith took a deep breath. "Me."


	6. Chapter 6

Angel of Mercy parking lot, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
7:46 p.m.

"What are you saying? You're gonna use yourself as bait?" Bosco asked, staring at her with wide eyes.

"If that's what it takes to make sure no more innocent people are killed," Faith answered softly.

"Yeah, and what about you?"

"What about me?"

"You're just as innocent as Kim and Taylor. You didn't ask to be this psycho's sister. It's not like it's your fault, Faith," he pointed out, shaking his head.

"Maybe not. But I'm the one he's after. I can't stand by or go run and hide while he's slaughtering innocent people because he's looking for me." She turned and headed for the squad car.

"No way. Forget it. We're *not* doing this."

She paused in her steps. "You're right. *We're* not."

Bosco stared at her. "What the hell does that mean?"

She turned to face him. "Just what I said. I'm not asking you for your permission or your help. This is my problem. I'll handle it myself." She headed for the car again.

He followed her. "That's not what I meant."

"This is something I have to take care of, all right?"

"But you don't have to do it alone." He reached out and caught her arm.

She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again and looked at him. "Michael is dangerous, Bosco," she said, her voice soft, pain reflecting in her eyes. "I don't want you to get hurt because of me. I won't ask you for your help."

Bosco's hand lingered on her arm. "You don't have to ask," he responded quietly. They gazed at each other for a moment. "We've been in a lot of dangerous situations before, Faith."

She shook her head. "Not like this."

"Maybe not, but we're partners." When she started to protest, he cut her off. "And more than that, we're friends." Bosco gazed at her. "We are still friends, right?" he asked hopefully.

She met his eyes and nodded slowly, a small smile on her face. "Yeah. We're still friends."

He managed a small smile of his own, still feeling hurt that friendship was all she wanted from him, but at the same time, feeling relieved that they were still friends at all. "And friends help each other."

"Bosco..." Faith shook her head and looked away.

"Faith, look at me and tell me that if our situations were reversed, you wouldn't try to help me," he challenged.

She looked at him but remained silent.

"Then let me help you. Let me be there for you." He stared at her, waiting. It's not like she really had a choice. He wasn't about to back down.

She finally nodded her agreement.

"All right. So what do we do first?"

"Call someone else in to take Mr. Brown to the station."

"Right." Bosco radioed Central and requested another squad to come and escort their prisoner back to the House. Then he glanced at his watch and grimaced. "We have to go meet Christopher for your command discipline."

She rolled her eyes. "Great. This must be my lucky day." She slid into the driver's seat of 55-David.

"Yours and mine both," he muttered.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"How is she?" Kim asked anxiously as Dr. Thomas walked over to where she, Doc, Carlos and Jimmy, along with several others from the firehouse sat in the waiting room of the e.r.

"She made it through surgery. She's in recovery now."

"Is she gonna be all right?"

He hesitated. "Right now she's in stable but critical condition. But she's lost a lot of blood. The next few hours are crucial."

Doc rested his hand on Kim's back as tears filled her eyes.

"I'll let you know if there's any change in her condition," Dr. Thomas promised before he turned and walked away.

"She's going to be fine."

They all turned to look at Carlos.

He looked at Kim. "She's a fighter. You know Taylor."

She managed to give him a small smile through her tears, grateful for his words.

"Carlos is right," Doc agreed quietly. "She's going to be okay. We just have to keep the faith."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Parking Lot at King and Durbin, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
8:11 p.m.

"You're late," Christopher snapped at Faith and Bosco as he stood leaning against the squad car that his driver still sat inside.

"We had to take a prisoner to the hospital," Bosco replied coolly, his eyes narrowed.

"I don't care. I said be here at 8:00. It's 8:11," the sergeant replied, glancing at his watch, irritated. He turned and reached into the squad car through the open passenger window and pulled out a clipboard. "And for being late, I'm writing you up twice," he informed Faith with a smirk on his face.

"You son of a--"

Faith grabbed Bosco's arm without even looking over at him. "Let it go," she said, her voice quiet, her eyes on Christopher. "Do whatever you want." Not like it matters, she added silently. I probably won't be alive to face the consequences after tonight anyway.

Sergeant Christopher raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "I always do. That's why I'm the sergeant." He handed her the clipboard and a pen.

She didn't even bother to read over the paperwork; she simply signed her signature on the bottom and handed it back to him. "Are we done here?" she asked tensely.

He smirked again. "You have a hot date?"

Bosco glared at him.

"No. Unlike some people, I have a job to do," she replied calmly, folding her arms across her chest.

Christopher scowled. "Watch it, Officer Yokas. Or you'll have a lot more to worry about than a command discipline for being late."

"I already do, but thanks for the warning." Without another word, Faith turned and walked back toward her and Bosco's squad car.

"Park your unit on Division and finish your shift on foot patrol," he called after her.

Bosco gave him another dirty look and then followed his partner back to their car.

Christopher watched them drive away and turned to look into the car at his driver, Officer Watson. "I just love needling those two," he said with a grin.

Watson forced a smile, then his gaze shifted past Christopher and his eyes widened. He opened his mouth to speak, to call out a warning, but no sound came out as the sergeant was suddenly slammed up against the side of the car from behind him.

Sergeant Christopher cried out as the blade tore through his abdomen, the point of it protruding through his stomach as it entered his back. He felt himself being lifted into the air and his last sight was of Watson, climbing out of the driver's side with his gun drawn. Then his attacker dropped him to the ground and everything grew dark.

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921 East Division Street, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
9:22 p.m.

Faith shivered against the cool autumn wind as it swept a flurry of dead leaves by her as she walked next to Bosco. She glanced around, looking behind her frequently, just in case.

"So how are we going to find him?"

"What?"

Bosco frowned and looked at her. "What's the plan? How do we track him down?"

She hesitated. "I don't know."

They walked along in silence for awhile, listening to the sounds of children yelling 'trick or treat' as they ran between apartment buildings.

"You know, I just realized...we both have brothers named Michael," Bosco said suddenly.

She chuckled. "Yeah. Yours is a drug dealer and mine's a psychopathic serial killer," she said, making an attempt at humor that fell flat even for her. Tears suddenly rushed to her eyes and she fell silent again.

He reached out, put a hand on her arm, and stopped her from walking. "Hey."

Faith couldn't look at him.

"Faith..." Bosco reached up and touched her face gently, tilting her chin up so she was forced to look at him. "Listen to me. This is not your fault, all right?"

"In my mind, I know that. I do. But...I can't help feeling how I feel. Taylor might not make it because of *my* brother. He's killed so many people, Bosco...so many innocent people." She shook her head as a tear rolled down her cheek and she looked away.

"If Mikey went out and killed some guy for drug money, would you blame me?"

"What?"

"If my brother shot someone for drugs and the guy died, would that be my fault?"

"Of course not."

"Exactly."

She turned her head to look at him again. Their gazes locked and they stared at each other for a long moment.

Bosco's eyes dropped to her lips and he moved toward her, his hand rising to her face again as he cupped her cheek.

Faith's eyes drifted shut as his lips brushed againsts her very lightly. His other arm slid around her as he pulled her closer to deepen the kiss.

The shrill ringing of her cellular phone caused both of them to jump, and they quickly jerked apart.

She blinked rapidly as she reached down onto her gun belt where her phone was hooked. It rang once more before she picked it up and pressed it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Faith?"

"Yeah?" She glanced at Bosco, a slight frown on her face.

"It's Laurie."

"Are you okay?"

"The picture on your mantel...the one of the boy and the girl...who are they?"

She could hear the urgency in her sister's voice and instantly the photo flashed into her mind. The picture of her kids, the one that had been taken two years ago at Christmas time that had been the first thing she'd unpacked when she'd moved into her new apartment and set on the mantel for everyone to see. "My kids...why?"

"Make sure they're safe!"

"What?" Fear clutched at Faith's heart. "Why wouldn't they be? Do you think he'd go after them?"

"Yes, he would, if he knew you had kids."

Her gaze locked on Bosco's face, her mouth open in horror. She hung up the phone and immediately dialed Fred's phone number.

"Faith, what's wrong?" Bosco asked worriedly.

She didn't answer him as she waited for the call to go through. The tone buzzed. "Damn it! The line's busy!" Her eyes filled with tears again and she hung up the phone. "Take the car and go to Fred's!"

"What?"

"Bosco, please. I need you to go make sure my kids are safe," Faith said urgently.

"What about you?"

"If I go with you, he might follow. Just go, please. I'll be okay."

Bosco stared at her. "Faith..."

"Bosco, please, just go! Make sure my kids are okay!"

"Okay, okay. I'll go. I'll call you when I get there," he promised.

"Thank you."

He nodded and turned around, running toward the squad car.

Faith stared after him as he took off. She stood in the middle of the empty sidewalk alone, praying to God that her kids were okay. Then she looked around the dark street, but saw nothing but buildings and shadows. "All right, brother. Now's your chance. Here I am," she whispered.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Parking Lot at King and Durbin, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
9:25 p.m.

"First Taylor and now this. Who the hell would do something like this?" Carlos demanded as he stood beside his partner after announcing to the officers on the scene that Sergeant Christopher and Officer Watson were both dead.

Doc shook his head, but remained silent.

Davis looked at them both, then at Sully. "Do you think it's the same guy?" he asked, his voice quiet.

"Looks that way to me," Sully replied, feeling sick as he glanced over the scene where the detectives milled around and investigated.

"So what you're saying is that there's some doped up serial killer on the loose attacking city workers?" Carlos asked nervously, looking around.

Sully looked at him but didn't respond.

"Son of a bitch," the young paramedic muttered, shaking his head.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Laurie hid in the alley across the street from the parking lot where her brother's latest victims lay dead. She stifled a sob, covering her mouth with one hand, feeling the icy tendrils of despair threatening to claim her. She remembered everything about that first night so clearly...remembered the way Annie's head had been tilted to one side, her eyes wide open and staring blankly up at the ceiling of the Wallace's bedroom as she laid dead on the bed.

She closed her eyes against the image, but more replaced it. Her fiancee' Will's body dropping to the floor of her apartment after Michael had stabbed him, the fear in her son's eyes as he and his girlfriend tried to escape her brother...so many images of fear and death. She swallowed hard, then opened her eyes again, shoving away the despair and replacing it with determination. She would find him. She would find him and put an end to his reign of terror.

This was the last Halloween that Michael Myers would ever kill another human being.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apartment of Fred Yokas, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
9:45 p.m.

Bosco pounded on the door to Fred's apartment loudly, not caring if his neighbors had already gone to bed and were disturbed by the noise. The only thing that mattered to him was making sure that Emily and Charlie were safe, then getting back to Faith to make sure she *stayed* safe. When no one answered the door immediately, he pounded again, louder this time, feeling his heart start to pound a little harder in his chest.

A second later, the door opened, and Fred Yokas stood before him, a scowl on his face. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Bosco pushed past him and walked inside the apartment. "Where are the kids?" he demanded, glancing around.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Fred asked, glaring at him.

"God dammit, Fred, where the hell are Emily and Charlie?"

"Charlie's in bed, Emily's at a school Halloween party...what the hell is your problem?"

"Get Charlie up and get him dressed. We have to go pick up Emily right now," he commanded.

"What? What are you talking about? Did something happen to Faith?" Fred demanded, annoyed.

"Not yet. Get Charlie up and get him dressed, we have to go get Em," Bosco repeated.

Fred scowled. "You're going to tell me what this is about or I'm going to call the police and report you for trespassing!"

"They may be in danger!"

He stared at Bosco. "What?"

"Emily and Charlie may be in danger. Just go get Charlie and I'll explain on the way to Em's school."

"I'm warning you, Bosco, if this is your idea of some kind of sick revenge for what happened with me and Faith, I swear to God..."

"Shut the hell up and go get your son right now!"

Fred turned and retreated down the hallway, returning a few moments later with a groggy Charlie walking beside him, his eyes only half-open.

"Hi, Uncle B...what are you doing here?" Charlie asked in confusion, wiping the sleep out of his eyes.

"Hey, kiddo. We're gonna go get your big sister from her party and then you guys are going to take a little trip, okay?"

Charlie looked up at his dad, confused.

"What are you talking about now?" Fred demanded.

"I'll explain on the way. Come on, we have to go now." He headed for the door, his hand resting lightly on his gun holster.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rochester Avenue, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
10:02 p.m.

Laurie walked down the street, clutching her purse tightly to her body. She glanced over her shoulder, then faced forward and kept walking in the direction she was going. "Come on, where are you?" she whispered, her eyes narrowed and her jaw set.

As if he had some supernatural hearing ability, her brother stepped out of an alley a few yards ahead of her. He stopped and stared at her, his head tilting to one side.

She swallowed hard, fear instantly surging through her. She did her best to shove it away. This is it, she told herself. This ends right here, right now. She stared back at him, her heart racing in her chest. "Here I am, Michael," she said loudly, her voice wavering only slightly. "You want to kill me? Then come and get me!"


	7. Chapter 7

Rochester Avenue, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
10:03 p.m.

Michael continued to simply stare at Laurie, his head tilted slightly to the left, the butcher knife clutched tightly in his right hand which rested against his leg.

"What are you waiting for, Michael?" she demanded, glaring at him. "This is your big chance! Think you can actually kill me this time?"

After a long moment, he began to move, walking toward her slowly.

Her heart thumping rapidly against her chest, Laurie forced herself to stand her ground and remain motionless.

His steps quickened and as he drew nearer to her, he raised his hand up and the knife's metallic surface reflected brightly in the glare from street light above them.

Laurie swallowed hard, uncontrollable fear surging over her, but still she didn't move. Michael kept coming closer. Closer and closer until he was only a few feet away from her.

She reached into her purse and pulled out the snub-nosed .38 that she'd purchased after she'd recovered from her last battle with her brother. She aimed it at him.

He paused in his steps and looked at her again, tilting his head to the side once more.

"What? You didn't really think I was going to let you kill me without a fight, did you?" she asked, her hand shaking slightly.

Michael took another step toward her.

Laurie pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

She pulled it again and again, but still nothing happened. "Oh, shit," she muttered, backing away with wide eyes.

He started toward her again, this time his steps bigger, faster.

So much for that plan. She turned and began to run.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Angel of Mercy Hospital, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
10:15 p.m.

Davis sat in a chair beside Alex's hospital bed, staring intently at her pale face. The doctors still weren't sure she was going to survive the night. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes, listening to the steady beeping of the heart monitor they had her hooked up to.

He shouldn't technically have been there, given he was supposed to be on duty. But Sully had told him to go back to the hospital, that he would take care of all the paperwork and reports and talking with the detectives about the homicides. He exhaled slowly, leaning his head back against the chair. He still couldn't believe that Officer Watson and Sergeant Christopher were dead. Granted, he'd never been a big fan of Christopher's, but he didn't wish death on the guy. Especially not one as grisly as the one he'd suffered.

Sully had seemed pretty certain that the murders were connected to the attack on Alex and Kim.

Davis didn't understand it. What kind of sick bastard could do something so awful?

He shook his head and opened his eyes again, his gaze locking on the heart monitor. He watched the lines across the screen, unsure of what they meant, but knowing that the steady beeping never faltered and he knew that was a good thing.

His attention refocused on Alex's face and unexpected tears filled his eyes. He blinked rapidly, trying to hold them back.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay to cry."

Davis looked up and saw Kim standing behind him, her face pale, as well. "I'm okay," he told her. "How are you holding up?"

She just nodded, and glanced over to where her friend lay in the bed. "Steady heart rhythm. That's good."

"Yeah."

They were both silent for a moment.

"She's gonna pull through this," Kim said softly, her hand still resting on his shoulder.

"How do you know that?" he asked, his voice barely audible.

"The same way you do. We know her."

Davis released another deep breath, one he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. "I never told her..."

She glanced down at him. "Told her what?"

He hesitated, looked back at Alex again. "The truth. What she means to me."

"She knows," Kim assured him quietly.

He simply nodded, hoping she was right.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

East Division Street, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
10:32 p.m.

Faith heard footsteps rushing toward her from the alley to her right and without thinking she drew her gun from its holster, waiting silently around the corner. "Hold it right there!" she said firmly, aiming her gun as the person rounded the corner.

"Faith?"

She squinted her eyes and realized that it was Laurie. "What are you doing here?" she asked, confused, lowering her weapon.

"He's coming!"

"What?"

"Michael...he's coming!" Laurie said urgently, looking behind her down the alley.

"Get out of the way," Faith commanded, positioning herself at the front of the alley. He came into view a few seconds later, moving quickly toward her, knife raised in his hand. She aimed her gun at his head and fired without even calling out a warning. She fired all six rounds and watched as her brother collapsed onto the ground.

She swallowed hard, her heart racing. She lowered her weapon slowly, her eyes locked on his un-moving form on the pavement. She'd just shot and killed her own brother. Her brother who had murdered dozens of innocent people, and possibly one of her friends.

Faith felt a hand on her arm and turned to face her sister, whose face was pale and full of fear. "It's over," she said softly.

"No...it's not...come on, we have to go, that won't keep him down for long," Laurie said urgently, tugging on her arm.

"What?"

"Look." She nodded toward the alley.

Faith turned around and watched in shock as Michael began to sit up, staring right at them. "Oh, my God," she whispered.

"Come on, we have to go!" Laurie grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the alley.

Looking over her shoulder once more, Faith saw their brother rise to his feet and pick up the knife he'd dropped. He began to move toward them.

Feeling dazed, Faith followed her sister as she took off running.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Angel of Mercy Hospital, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
11:00 p.m.

Davis leaned forward in his chair and carefully picked up Alex's hand from where it rested on the blankets covering her. Kim had left to go get some coffee, saying she'd be back in a few minutes and offering to grab him a cup, as well, but he'd turned the offer down, thanking her. She'd paused at the doorway, subtly suggesting that he go ahead and use that time to "talk to Alex."

"Alex..." he whispered, pressing his lips to the back of her hand. "I, uh...I don't know if...you can hear me right now, but...I need you to wake up." He hesitated, watched for any flicker of awareness on her face, but saw none. He swallowed hard, looked away for a moment, then returned his gaze to her once again.

"You and me...we've been through some stuff. Not all of it's been good. But I wouldn't trade a minute of it. Not for anything." Davis closed his eyes briefly, kissing her hand again. "We don't always get along and I know we're not...together right now, but...I want you to know that you mean a lot to me. You always have, ever since..." His voice trailed off as he thought about how he and Alex had gotten to be friends in the first place, bonding over the loss of their fathers. "Ever since the beginning."

He opened his eyes again. "And I don't think I ever told you, but...I love you, Al. So I need you to be okay, so I can tell you that when you're awake, all right? Please," he said quietly, gazing at her. She made no movement, no signs that she was nearing consciousness. There was a moment of silence. "You think she heard me?"

Kim glanced over at him from where she stood a few feet away. "Yeah. I'm sure she did."

Davis gave her a small smile.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

111th Street, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
11:01 p.m.

Faith leaned against the wall of the nearest apartment building as her sister did the same, trying to catch their breaths. They'd been running from him for nearly a half-hour and every time they thought they'd managed to lose him, he turned out to be not far behind, after all. "Is he still following us?"

"I don't know," Laurie answered, panting for breath.

"We need a plan," she said, shaking her head.

"We have one. It's called stay alive til morning."

"We can't keep this up much longer. We have to figure out a way to stop him," Faith said, closing her eyes for a moment.

"He's coming!"

Her eyes flew open and she stared in disbelief as their brother walked slowly down the sidewalk toward them. "Doesn't he *ever* get tired?" she demanded in exasperation.

"No," Laurie answered, backing away quickly. "Come on. We have to keep moving."

Faith followed her again, yanking her gun out of its holster and replacing the clip as quickly as she could.

"Let's split up. He can't follow us both."

"No way," she said instantly. "We're safer if we're together."

"Faith, listen to me. No one's safe while he's on the loose. If we split up, we'll have a better chance of throwing him off guard," Laurie argued as they ran.

She couldn't deny the logic of her sister's arguement. "All right. Here. You take this." She held her handgun out.

"You'll need it."

"Please, just take it. If I need to, I can call for backup."

Laurie hesitated, then reached out and took the weapon from her.

"You know how to use one?" Faith asked uncertainly.

"Yeah. Have for awhile. Let's do this."

They stopped abruptly and turned as one to look at Michael, who was several yards behind them, but steadily catching up.

"Be safe," Faith said softly, swallowing hard as she glanced at her sister.

"You too," Laurie answered.

Without another word, Faith turned and headed down the alley to her right, and Laurie took off headed East.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Faith ran as fast as she could down the alley and turned to her left on 96th. She noticed that the streets were unusually empty as her feet pounded the pavement. She threw a glance over her shoulder but didn't see anyone coming. She faced forward again and continued to run anyway, praying that Bosco and her children were safe, and that her sister would be able to escape from Michael.

Just then she heard footsteps behind her.

Fear clutching at her heart, she rounded another corner and ducked down behind a garbage bin in the alley, desperately looking for some kind of weapon to use.

She heard the footfall pause at the entrance to the alley and she held her breath.

Her police radio suddenly crackled with static and her eyes widened in horror. She quickly reached up and shut it off, praying that her brother hadn't heard the noise. She reached behind her and gripped onto a wooden board that lay behind her on the pavement. She clutched it tightly in her hands, her muscles tense and adrenaline pumping through her body.

She listened, heard the footsteps coming closer.

Her heart pounded loudly and she wondered for a second if maybe her brother could hear it.

She could see his shadow on the ground and she bit down hard on her lip. Oh, God, she thought. It's now or never.

Faith rose to her feet and swung the board in one swift motion at the figure standing by the garbage bin.

"Faith!" Bosco's hands reached up grabbed the board before she could deck him with it.

She stared at him in shock. "Bosco!" She let the board slip from her hands, her eyes closing with relief as she let out a breath.

"Are you all right?" he asked immediately, letting the wood clatter to the ground. "What happened?"

"I ran into Laurie. Michael's been following her all night. We split up to throw him off guard," she explained quickly, opening her eyes again. "My kids?"

"They're fine, Faith. Emily was at a Halloween party at her school, and Charlie was in bed. I picked up Em and put the two of them on a train with Fred to Jersey for the night," Bosco assured her. "They're safe, I swear."

"Thank you," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his waist tightly.

He quickly hugged her back. "You're welcome." He closed his eyes and leaned his head against hers. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Me too," she said softly, pulling away from him. She looked at him seriously. "Now I want you to get out of here."

"What?" Bosco stared at her in disbelief.

"Bosco, I mean it. I want you to go and get back in the squad car and get out of here as fast as you can."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"No, I'm not." Faith drew in a deep breath and then reached out to touch his face. "I don't want to see you get hurt, and Michael's proved more than once that he'll kill anyone who gets in his way. You're safer if you're not around me."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere, so just forget it," he said, a hint of anger in his tone.

"Bosco--"

"Look, I made sure your kids are safe. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can, but--"

"I love you!" Bosco blurted out.

Faith's mouth dropped open. "What?"

He swallowed hard. "I love you. And I'm not going to leave you no matter what you say, so get over it."

Her eyes softened as she gazed at him. "I love you, too," she whispered.

Bosco smiled slightly and then caressed her cheek with one hand. He leaned toward her and gently kissed her on the lips. Then he leaned his forehead against hers. "When I came back this morning and you weren't there, I thought...that you regretted what happened between us," he admitted quietly.

Faith's eyes filled with tears. "Never," she whispered. "I woke up and you were gone and I thought..." Her voice trailed off.

"That I'd abandoned you like Fred did?"

"Yeah." She looked down, ashamed that she'd even put Bosco and Fred on the same level.

"That would never happen. I love you, Faith. Always have."

She pressed her lips against his again in another kiss. "I'm scared, Boz."

"I know you are. But we're gonna figure this out, I promise you," he whispered, kissing her forehead.

Faith lifted her gaze to meet his eyes, but she caught sight of movement behind him and her eyes widened in horror. "Bosco!"

Before he could respond to her scream of warning, Michael grabbed Bosco from behind and plunged the butcher knife into his back once, twice. Then he let go of Bosco's body, which slumped to the ground.

"No," she sobbed, the word choking her.

Michael stared at her for a moment, then raised the bloody knife again and took a step toward her.


	8. Chapter 8

Alley, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
11:21 p.m.

Faith screamed as pain ripped through her shoulder blade as her brother stabbed her. She instantly covered the wound with her hand, then with all the force she could manage, she barrelled into Michael with her good shoulder, throwing him to the ground. Tears streaming down her face, she turned and ran down the alley, her feet pounding the pavement, the sound echoing in her ears.

Bosco was dead.

And it was all her fault.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Angel of Mercy Hospital, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
11:24 p.m.

Davis had fallen asleep in his chair, leaning forward with his head resting on the edge of Alex's hospital bed, his hands holding onto her arm gently. He woke up, startled, not sure what had woken him until he raised his head and saw her looking at him. "Alex!" He sat up immediately, relief flooding through him.

"Ty..." Her voice was weak, raspy.

"Thank God you're awake." Davis stood up and then leaned over and kissed her forehead gently. "I'm going to go get a doctor."

"No!" With surprising strength, she reached out and grabbed his arm with one hand.

He turned back to her, worried. "What's wrong? Are you okay? Are you in pain?"

"Kim," she whispered, her eyes full of fear.

Davis suddenly realized what was going on. "She's fine, Al. She wasn't hurt."

Her eyes closed for a moment, then opened him again, looking at him. "Don't go."

He nodded. "I won't. I promise. I'm not going anywhere." He looked down where she still held onto his arm tightly. He gently removed her hand, then interlaced his fingers with hers. "You had us scared for awhile."

"Sorry," Alex whispered tiredly.

"Shh. It's okay, everything's going to be okay."

"Have you...." She struggled to talk and he could see that it was quickly draining her of what little energy she had.

"Shhh. Save your strength, okay?"

"Caught him?"

Davis swallowed hard, looked away for a moment, then focused his gaze on her again. "Not yet, but we will. He won't get away with it, Al."

There was a long moment of silence as she simply stared at him. "Evil," she whispered with tears in her eyes.

"What?"

"He's evil. Pure evil."

Davis stared back at her before he nodded slowly. "I know."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2nd Avenue, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
11:29 p.m.

In the middle of the dimly lit avenue, Laurie could see someone running in the distance, but not toward her. Unconsciously, her fingers wrapped around her sister's gun a little tighter as she turned and saw that the figure was headed for the Triborough Bridge. Her eyes widened a little and she watched as a second figure followed the first one. And there was no doubt in her mind who the second figure was.

Which meant that the person running from her brother was Faith. Cursing in her mind, Laurie forced away all the fear she felt and started to run after her siblings.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adam 55-3, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
11:32 p.m.

"I can't believe this. First Taylor, then those cops." Carlos shook his head and stared out the passenger window of the bus. "I hate Halloween."

"You and me both," Doc muttered, his hands gripping the wheel tightly as he concentrated on driving.

"You think she's going to be okay?"

"Taylor?"

"Yeah."

"I hope so." He started to say something else when he caught sight of a vaguely familiar figure running toward the East at top speed. "What the hell?"

"What?" Carlos turned to look out the windshield. He squinted against the street lights as the person ran. "Isn't that the chick from last night? The one who took off when we got to the hospital?"

"Yeah, her name's Laurie. She's Faith's sister." Doc stepped on the brakes.

"Faith Yokas?" he asked in confusion. "Since when did she have a sister?"

"That's a very good question." He did a U-turn in the middle of the road.

"What are you doing?" Carlos questioned, frowning deeply.

"Following her."

"Why?"

"Because I think she may need some help."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Triborough Bridge, New York City  
October 31st, 2004--Halloween  
11:40 p.m.

Faith gasped for breath as she stopped running. She stood in the middle of the bicycle path of the bridge, then turned to watch as Michael walked slowly toward her. She looked down at the river below the bridge, the waters rough and dark in the moonlight. For a couple seconds she considered jumping. Then steely determination filled her. She had to stop her brother. Even if it meant that she got killed in the process.

Her hands clenched into fists at her sides and the muscles tensing caused pain to erupt from her shoulder again. She tried to push it away, to block it out. She focused her attention on her brother again. "Come on, Michael!" she screamed, rage spiraling within her. "What are you waiting for, you bastard?"

He continued to walk steadily toward her as the cars on other side of the path zoomed by, unaware of the danger around them.

Faith stood her ground, unmoving as the cold autumn wind tore at her hair, her tears drying on her cheeks. She was going to die, there was no real doubt in her mind. She had no weapon to fight him with and she was already injured. But if she was going to die, she was going to do her best to take him to hell with her. Every muscle in her body tensed with every step closer that her brother took.

"Michael!"

Her eyes widened at her sister's shout. She watched as Michael stopped in his tracks and turned around slowly.

Faith took a few quick steps forward silently. She saw Laurie holding her service weapon out in both hands, aiming it at their brother. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly as she heard the shots fire. When she opened them again, her brother was lying on the ground. She met Laurie's gaze. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Laurie answered, her gaze dropping to Michael's still figure on the pavement.

She swallowed hard, then took a few steps closer to him.

"What are you doing?" her sister asked, alarm in her voice.

Faith knelt down beside him and picked up the knife off the pavement. She rose slowly to her feet again, holding it up in her hand. She felt sick as she looked at it, at all the blood that was on it. Alex Taylor's blood, Kim's blood....Bosco's. Tears rushed to her eyes and for a second she thought she was seeing things as she caught sight of movement in the metal surface. Then she heard Laurie scream as a hand wrapped around her throat and lifted her into the air.

The knife clattered to the pavement as she tried to pry her brother's fingers off her neck. She made a feeble attempt at kicking him, but couldn't get the leverage she needed to do so. She began to feel light-headed and dizzy as he held onto her tightly, strangling her. She suddenly found herself staring down at the river below, to the waters that only a few moments ago she contemplated jumping into as a means of escape. Her vision began to blur from the lack of oxygen.

"Hey!" She could hear someone shouting in the distance, but couldn't place the voice, though she recognized it.

"Get out of the way," another voice commanded off in the distance.

Faith felt Michael's grip on her loosen and her eyes widened in horror. He was going to drop her off the bridge.

Suddenly a shot rang out through the air. Then another. And another after that. She felt herself falling and she instinctively reached out, managing to grab hold of the slippery rail with one hand. She watched as her brother plunged off the bridge and down into the river below, disappearing beneath the murky surface. She felt her hand beginning to slip.

"Son of a bitch! Faith!" A strong hand gripped onto her arm.

She instantly turned to look up at the person, then realized she must have been hallucinating because she found herself staring into Bosco's eyes.

"Faith, listen to me, I need you to grab my other hand!" he said, reaching it out to her as he leaned against the rail.

"Bosco," she whispered.

"Yeah, it's me, give me your other hand!"

She managed to grasp his hand with her other hand and he quickly pulled her up and back over the rail. The force sent him falling backward to the ground, her on top of him.

"It's okay, Faith. It's okay, you're safe," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

Exhausted and confused, she pressed her face into his shoulder and began to cry.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Triborough Bridge, New York City  
October 31st, 2004-Halloween  
11:57 p.m.

"What a night, huh?" Carlos commented to Doc as he shook his head and finished bandaging Faith's arm.

Doc raised his eyebrows and then turned to look at Laurie, who sat in the back of the ambulance with a blanket draped over her shoulders. Then he focused his attention on his friends again. "We're gonna head to Mercy in a minute," he informed them.

"Right," Bosco said, not looking at him. He kept one of his arms wrapped around Faith's waist as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Faith asked again worriedly, pulling away to look at him.

"Faith, I'm fine," he promised for about the twelfth time in ten minutes. "Good thing I just got a new vest last week, though."

"Thank God," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears as she reached up to touch his face. "I thought you were dead."

Bosco leaned toward her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Like I was going to let some psycho freak get away with trying to murder the woman I love."

Carlos and Doc exchanged surprised looks, but neither commented.

"I love you, too," Faith said softly.

He kissed her, a gentle, brief kiss on the lips. Then he looked up as Sully approached with raised eyebrows.

"ESU is going to drag the river tomorrow morning. So far he hasn't turned up on shore anywhere that they've found," Sully informed them.

"That's because he's dead," Bosco replied, tightening his arm around Faith once more. "I shot the guy three times and he fell 145 feet to the river. No one could've survived that."

"No human could have."

He turned to see Faith's sister standing behind them. "What?" he asked with a frown.

Laurie looked at him, then at Faith, her eyes sad, haunted. Afraid. "Don't you understand?"

Bosco's frown deepened as he saw the same emotions reflected in his partner's eyes. "Understand what?"

Faith swallowed hard, turned her gaze to look at him, but she remained silent.

Her sister answered for her. "You can't kill the bogeyman," she whispered.


End file.
